List of starting years of countries with universal healthcare.
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Brief explanation of healthcare system type:
Year | Event type | Details | Present time system type (when aplicable) | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|
1883 | The world's first national social health insurance system originates in Germany with Otto Von Bismarck's Sickness Insurance Law, starting to implement compulsory sickness insurance program for workers.[2][3][4][5] | Germany | ||
1891 | Healthcare begins taking effect in Sweden as a form of labor subsidized mutual benefit.[2] | Sweden | ||
1892 | Healthcare begins taking effect in Denmark.[2] | Denmark | ||
1910 | Healthcare begins taking effect in France.[2] | France | ||
1912 | Healthcare begins taking effect in Switzerland.[2] | Switzerland | ||
1912 | Policy | Norway becomes the first country to adopt a universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Norway |
1938 | Policy | Japan achieves universal healthcare. The National Health Insurance act is enacted, widening the coverage of public health insurance not only to farmers, but also to the general public not covered by the Health Insurance Law.[8][7] | Single payer[1] | Japan |
1938 | Policy | New Zealand establishes universal healthcare.[7] | Two Tier[1] | New Zealand |
1941 | Policy | The Third Reich institutes a universal healthcare system. Free for widows and orphans, the benefits are enjoyed only by "racial comrades".[9][7] | Insurance Mandate[1] | Germany |
1945 | Policy | Belgium adopts universal healthcare policy, after introducing compulsory insurance.[10][7] | Insurance Mandate[1] | Belgium |
1945 | United States President Harry S. Truman proposes a national health insurance program. The Congress would not approve it.[11] | United States | ||
1948 (July 5) | The National Health Service Act 1946 is launched in England, creating the National Health Service (NHS) that would provide the majority of healthcare in the country.[12][13][7] | Single Payer[1] | United Kingdom | |
1950 | Policy | Kuwait starts implementing free comprehensive healthcare to its citizens.[14][7][15] | Single Payer[1] | Kuwait |
1954 | Policy | The government of North Vietnam establishes universal healthcare.[7][16] | Vietnam | |
1955 | Policy | Sweden implements a universal healthcare system, nine year after the legislation was passed in 1946.[17][6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Sweden |
1955 | Policy | North Korea establishes universal healthcare.[7] | North Korea | |
1957 | Policy | Bahrain adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Bahrain |
1958 | Policy | Brunei achieves universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Brunei |
1966 | Policy | Andorra adopts universal healthcare.[6] | Andorra | |
1966 | Policy | Universal healthcare is achieved in Canada, after the Parliament approves a publicly-funded healthcare system under the principle that access to healthcare shouldn’t depend on location, income, or wealth.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Canada |
1966 | Policy | The Dutch Sickness Fund Act (Ziekenfondswet, ZFW) enters into force in the Netherlands, adding compulsory insurance for the whole population to cover severe medical risks.[18] This is the year the Netherlands is considered having adopted universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Two Tier[1] | Netherlands |
1967 | Policy | Austria adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Insurance Mandate[1] | Austria |
1970 | Policy | Comprehensive healthcare begins in Oman.[14] | Oman | |
1971 | Policy | The United Arab Emirates adopt universal healthcare.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | United Arab Emirates |
1972 | Policy | Finland adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Finland |
1972 | Policy | Slovenia establishes universal healthcare.[7] | Single Payer[1] | Slovenia |
1973 | Policy | Denmark adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Two Tier | Denmark |
1973 | Policy | Luxemburg adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Insurance Mandate[1] | Luxembourg |
1974 | Policy | France adopts universal healthcare policy after law proclaims that the French National Health Insurance should be universal.[19][6][7] | Two Tier[1] | France |
1975 | Policy | Australia adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Two Tier[1] | Australia |
1975 | Policy | Algeria establishes universal healthcare.[7] | Algeria | |
1976 | Policy | After reunification of Vietnam, the universal healthcare system is extended to the South.[16] | Vietnam | |
1977 | Policy | Ireland adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Two Tier[1] | Ireland |
1977 | Policy | South Korea passes law mandating health insurance for industrial workers.[15] | South Korea | |
1978 | Policy | Italy adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Italy |
1979 | Policy | Portugal's National Healthcare Service, known nationally as Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS) starts providing universal free healthcare nationwide.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Portugal |
1980 | Policy | Cyprus adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Cyprus |
1983 | Policy | Greece adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Insurance Mandate[1] | Greece |
1986 | Policy | Spain adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Spain |
1988 | Policy | South Korea adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Insurance Mandate | South Korea |
1988 | Policy | Brazil establishes the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde), an approach to having free healthcare for all, a constitutional right.[7][15][20] | Brazil | |
1990 | Policy | Iceland adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Single Payer[1] | Iceland |
1991 | Policy | Colombia establishes the right to healthcare within its constitution.[21] | Colombia | |
1993 | Policy | Hong Kong adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Two Tier[1] | Hong Kong |
1993 | Policy | Colombia establishes universal healthcare.[7] | Colombia | |
1993 | Policy | Singapore adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Two Tier[1] | Singapore |
1994 | Policy | Switzerland adopts universal healthcare policy.[6][7] | Insurance Mandate[1] | Switzerland |
1994 | Policy | Moldova begins a mandatory health insurance program with the aim of providing the entire population with basic healthcare. Today, people who are unemployed or not working are insured by the government, while employed Moldovans chip in a portion of their income through a payroll tax or a flat-rate contribution.[22] | Moldova | |
1995 | Policy | Israel passes National Health Insurance Law, setting out a system of universal healthcare.[7] | Two Tier[1] | Israel |
1995 | Policy | Taiwan institutes its National Health Insurance (NHI). | Taiwan | |
1999 | Program launch | Rwanda establishes a national health plan. Since then, healthcare insurance would extend to reach about 91% of the population, a greater percentage than the United States.[22][15] | Rwanda | |
1999 | Policy | Venezuela establishes universal healthcare.[7] | Venezuela | |
2000 | Recognition | The French healthcare system is ranked N° 1 by the World Health Organization.[19] | France | |
2002 | Policy | Thailand introduces the "30-bhat scheme" (Less than US$ 1 at the time), a plan aimed at extending health coverage to all citizens. About 14 million previously uninsured people are added to the Thai system with this plan. According to a WHO report, prescription drugs, hospitalizations and services like chemotherapy, surgery and emergency care are free to patients.[22][7][15] | Thailand | |
2005 | Policy | Chile establishes access aimed at all its citizens to a basic package guaranteeing treatments for up to 80 health problems, setting upper limits to waiting times and out-of-pocket payment for treatments.[21] | Chile | |
2009 (April 10) | Policy | The Government of Peru publishes the Law on Health Insurance to enable all citizens access to quality health services.[23] | Peru | |
2011 | Policy | China achieves universal health insurance with more than 95% of its population insured. This represents the largest expansion of insurance coverage in human history.[22] | China | |
2012 | Policy | Mexico establishes universal healthcare.[7][24] | Mexico | |
2014 | Policy | With the House of Representatives’s passage of the Democrats’ reform bill, the United States approaches universal health care, using an insurance mandate system.[25] | Insurance Mandate[25] | United States |
2015 | Policy | All Qatari citizens and expatriates are expected to be covered by national health insurance.[14] | Qatar | |
2016 | Policy | Argentina establishes universal healthcare.[7] | Argentina |
The Sickness Insurance Law (1883). Eligibility. The Sickness Insurance Law came into effect in December 1884. It provided for compulsory participation by all industrial wage earners (i.e., manual laborers) in factories, ironworks, mines, shipbuilding yards, and similar workplaces.
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