Italy’s Health Care System by

Italy’s Sociodemographics

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-08 21:42:27 UTC

Age Distribution: Most common ages are 45-64. The distribution shows a greater population of people above the age of 40 versus the ages of infancy through 35. (1)
Italy’s Economic State: Italy is considered a high income country because of its high GDP per capita and developed economy. This can be from its high tourism being the 4th most visited country. (2)
- Unemployment rate is 7.6% (2023 statistic) (2)
Social Issues: Italy faces challenges related to migrants and asylum seekers, with some advocating for stricter immigration policies. It seemed to get worse after the Covid-19 impact which also gave rise to other issues related to poverty and inequality. As well, Italy’s aging population and lower birth rates show long-term economic challenges.

USA Sociodemographics

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-09 01:16:42 UTC

Age Distribution: The Median age of the population is 38.9 years old. There are more people over 65 than there are under 18. The % of under 18 year olds is decreasing while the % of 65+ year olds is steadily increasing. The US population is also growing rapidly. (1)

Italy’s Economic State: The US is a very high income country based on its GDP and GNI (gross national income) per person. The US only has an unemployment rate of 4.2% (2025) which is relatively low compared to Italy. (2)

Social Issues: Trump's tariffs and policies can have lasting effects on the healthcare delivery systems that hundreds of millions of Americans use to get access to healthcare. Early into his presidency he has already announced he plans to cut subsidies from the government that people use to get discounts on private marketplace plans. He is planning to cut funding from $97.7 million to as low as $10 million dollars going forward in 2025.

Italy’s Leading Cause of Death

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-09 01:19:26 UTC

According to the WHO Ischaemic heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women in Italy. The second and third leading cause is Stroke and Covid-19 (4)

USA Leading Cause of Death

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-09 01:22:21 UTC

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United states. 1 in every 5 deaths in 2022 came from heart disease. Someone dies every 33 seconds from heart disease. From 2019-2022, the US spent $252 billion on related costs to heart disease. That includes services, medicine, and labor costs of doctors trying to provide treatment. (13)

Italy Primary Health Issues

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-09 01:23:27 UTC

20.4% of the italian population used tobacco in 2022 with majority smokers being male. Cigarette usage has decreased since 2002 (was also common in the U.S.) but there is an increase in youth smoking due to new nicotine products. The rise is teen smokers and drinkers relates to the U.S. in their health issues considering heart disease is the leading cause of death for both countries. (10)

USA Primary Health Issues

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-09 01:23:56 UTC

Unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking, and inactivity in the US lead to a variety of national health problems. With heart disease being the most prevalent, cancer and obesity are also common health issues throughout the country. Mental illness is also a growing problem with 23.1% of adults in 2022 reported that they experienced a mental illness (depression anxiety etc.) (14)

Italy Life Expectancy / Infant Mortality

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-09 01:24:58 UTC

Life expectancy is 83 (2022 statistic)
Infant mortality: 1.76 deaths per thousand live births

Italy has longer life expectancy rate of about 5 years compared to the United States. (3)

USA Life Expectancy / Infant Mortality

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-09 01:25:20 UTC

Life expectancy is 77.43 years old (2022)
Deaths per 1000 live births is 5.6 (2022)
The US has a lower life expectancy and a high infant mortality rate compared to Italy. (15)

USA - Public and/or private health care?

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:14:49 UTC

System Type: Mixed (Public & Private healthcare)
Funding: Private insurances and government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, VHA, etc.
Insurance: Private insurance (employer-based and individual), public insurance for low-income and the elderly (Medicare and Medicaid)
Out of Pocket Cost: High cost (premiums, copays, deductibles) (5)

Healthcare expenditures

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:15:19 UTC

Per Capita Spending: $12,473.79 USD in 2022
Percentage of GDP: 16.57% in 2022

(17)

(Italy) Healthcare delivery system

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:16:27 UTC

All citizens and legal residents are entitled to universal health care all around no matter what from all healthcare workers, agencies and facilities. (7)

Italy - Public and/or private health care?

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:19:34 UTC

System Type: Mixed (Universal Healthcare & Private)
Funding: Taxes (For the most part income taxes)
Insurance: Universal coverage for all citizens and legal residents covered by the Servizio Sanitario Nazionale (SSN)
Out of Pocket Cost: Low cost (small copays are required for some services)(15)

Healthcare expenditures

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:20:21 UTC

Per Capita Spending: $3,066 USD in 2022
Percentage of GDP: 9.0% in 2022

(9)

Quality of the healthcare system, technology

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:22:58 UTC

Italy as of 2022, ranked 22nd in the best health care quality with the 27th place in the best technology in the world. Making Italy a place of great health care service with the best up to date technology. (8)

Benefits and limitations of this health care system

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:23:41 UTC

Sure Italy has absolute universal health care which is a big benefit compared to other countries like the United States but there are limitations. Like lack of staff or workers, and this is due to the lack of investments. Not a lot of people are interested in the health care system in Italy which comes at the downside of not a lot of funding nor enough money to properly pay workers. Not to mention, Italy is a Bureaucracy, and it takes a long time for any decision to be made. (20)

(USA) Healthcare delivery system

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:28:30 UTC

Unlike Italy’s health care system, the United States HealthCare system is made up of both public, private, profit, and non profit investment. The only thing that the federal government provides is Medicare for people of ages 65 and older, otherwise it is by investors. (17)

Quality of the healthcare system, technology

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:29:37 UTC

As of 2024, the United States is Ranked 7th Place in overall Innovation which includes the overall system and especially technology. (8)

Benefits and limitations of this health care system

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:30:08 UTC

Due to the United States HealthCare system of mainly being made of investors, money and staff will never be a problem for the United States, however, due to that, it is not free universal health care. Limitations are poor care and conditions, higher costs, and low productivity. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, it’s also a business.

Citations

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:39:24 UTC

1- World Health Organization. (n.d.). Italy. World Health Organization. https://data.who.int/countries/380

2- Topic: Travel and tourism in Italy. (n.d.). https://www.statista.com/topics/9723/travel-and-tourism-in-italy/

3- Simeoni, S., Frova, L., & De Curtis, M. (2024, January 17). Infant mortality in Italy: Large geographic and ethnic inequalities. Italian journal of pediatrics. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10795306/

4- Gini coefficient by country 2025. (n.d.-a). https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gini-coefficient-by-country

5- Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, April 2). Healthcare in Italy. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_Italy

6- https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/ita/italy/healthcare-spending#:~:text=Current%20expenditures%20on%20health%20per,a%209.41%25%20increase%20from%202020.

7- Authors Roosa Tikkanen, Authors, Tikkanen, R., Osborn, R., Mossialos, E., Djordjevic, A., & Wharton, G. A. (2020, June 5). Italy. Home. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries/italy

8- Turner, A. (2024, August 19). Italy: #30 in the 2022 world index for Healthcare Innovation. FREOPP. https://freopp.org/italy-30-in-the-2022-world-index-for-healthcare-innovation/#:~:text=taly%20ranked%2030th%20overall%20in,and%2026th%20for%20Fiscal%20Sustainability.

9- Italy: Problems with National Health Care System 2024 | statista. (n.d.-a). https://www.statista.com/statistics/1128986/problems-with-national-health-care-system-in-italy/

10- Blakeslee, L. (2023, May 25). Age profiles of smaller geographies don’t always mirror the National Trend. Census.gov. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2023/05/aging-united-states-population-fewer-children-in-2020.html#:~:text=The%20baby%20boom%20cohort%20moved,has%20a%20Relatively%20Young%20Population

11- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). CPS Home. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. https://www.bls.gov/cps/

12- Hut, N. (2025, February 17). Trump administration starts to tweak the Affordable Care Act as subsidy debate looms. HFMA. https://www.hfma.org/payment-reimbursement-and-managed-care/trump-administration-starts-to-tweak-the-affordable-care-act-as-subsidy-debate-looms/

13- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Heart disease facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/data-research/facts-stats/index.html

14- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Mental illness. National Institute of Mental Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness

15- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, October 25). FastStats - life expectancy. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/life-expectancy.htm

16- Wikimedia Foundation. (2025a, March 14). Healthcare in the United States. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Healthcare_in_the_United_States

17- U.S. Healthcare Spending 2000-2025. MacroTrends. (n.d.-b). https://www.macrotrends.net/global-metrics/countries/USA/united-states/healthcare-spending

18- Authors Roosa Tikkanen, Authors, Tikkanen, R., Osborn, R., Mossialos, E., Djordjevic, A., & Wharton, G. A. (2020b, June 5). United States. Home. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy-center/countries/united-states

19- Girvan, G. (2024, December 23). United States: #7 in the world index of healthcare innovation. FREOPP. https://freopp.org/united-states-7-in-the-world-index-of-healthcare-innovation/

20- National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (US) Office on Smoking and Health. (n.d.). The U.S. health disadvantage and why it matters to business. Community Health and Economic Prosperity: Engaging Businesses as Stewards and Stakeholders-A Report of the Surgeon General [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK568874/

21- Karen Birney View more by Karen ›, & View more by Karen. (2024, November 15). Sustainable tourism in Italy. Walks of Italy. https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/travel-tips/sustainable-tourism-in-italy#:~:text=Italy%20boasts%2055%20UNESCO%20World,significance%20to%20the%20national%20economy.

22- Karen Birney View more by Karen ›, & View more by Karen. (2024, November 15). Sustainable tourism in Italy. Walks of Italy. https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/travel-tips/sustainable-tourism-in-italy#:~:text=Italy%20boasts%2055%20UNESCO%20World,significance%20to%20the%20national%20economy.

23- Organisation for Economic Cooperation (OECD) countries 2025. (n.d.). https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/oecd-countries

24- Country comparison: Italy / United States. Worlddata.info. (n.d.). https://www.worlddata.info/country-comparison.php?country1=ITA&country2=USA

ITALY Population

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:50:40 UTC

59,146,260, As of January 2025 (24)

USA Population

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 00:52:06 UTC

347,275,807 - As of January 2025 (24)

Italy Government Structure

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 01:15:13 UTC

Parliamentary Republic which consists of the Italian Parliament consists of two houses: the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic.

USA Government Structure

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 01:15:50 UTC

The U.S. federal government is composed of three distinct branches, legislative, executive, and judicial.

Is Italy a OECD Member?

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 01:18:30 UTC

Yes! Italy is one of the 38 members of the OECD (23)

Is USA a OECD Member?

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 01:19:00 UTC

Yes! The USA is one of the founding members of the organization (23)

Italy Income Inequality

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 02:47:20 UTC

Italy is ranked #81 in the year of 2021. Their Gini Index score is 34.8 which shows a moderate level of income inequality.

USA Income Inequality

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 02:47:45 UTC

The USA is ranked #40 in the year of 2022. Their Gini Index score is 41.3 which shows a relatively high level of income inequality.

Extra: How tourism is important for the economy which can be beneficial in an more developed and advanced healthcare system.

sfreitas2022 — 2025-04-14 03:41:16 UTC

Tourism contributes to approximately 13% of Italy's GDP (21)
The travel and tourism industry contributed $2.3 trillion to the U.S. economy in 2022 (2.97 percent of the country's GDP), supporting 9.5 million jobs. (22)