The WHO’s Bias Against Free-Market Healthcare

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Ludwig von Mises Institute: The WHO’s Bias Against Free-Market Healthcare

DECEMBER 22, 2014Matt Battaglioli

One of today’s most commonly referenced statistics against a free-market healthcare system, is the World Health Organization’s ranking of healthcare systems around the world. It placescountries with socialized medicine like France (ranked no. 1) at the top, and ranks the United States as low as no. 37. Largely from this verdict by the WHO, many Americans calling for a healthcare reform want a reform in the direction of socialized medicine. This is misguided, and the WHO’s opinion is greatly over-credited by the general population. The statistic itself; that the US ranks no. 37 worldwide in healthcare, is generally well-known. Beyond that though, there is quite a bit of mystery. While many people know the statistic, very few people actually know how it is determined.

 

A number of various criteria go into how the WHO ranks healthcare systems around the world. Granted, some of these criteria are essential to evaluate in order to determine the direct effectiveness of any nation’s healthcare system. However, it is also true that many of the WHO’s criteria are not only irrelevant to the actual quality or effectiveness of a nation’s healthcare system, but also contribute to bias, and particularly, a bias against more free-market healthcare systems.