Romney\u2019s point about Israel\u2019s success in controlling health care costs is spot on: Its health care system has seen health care costs grow much slower than other industrialized nations.<\/p>\n
How it has gotten there, however, may not be to the Republican candidate\u2019s liking: Israel regulates its health care system aggressively, requiring all residents to carry insurance and capping revenue for various parts of the country\u2019s health care system.<\/p>\n
Israel created a national health care system in 1995, largely funded through payroll and general tax revenue. The government provides all citizens with health insurance: They get to pick from one of four competing, nonprofit plans. Those insurance plans have to accept all customers\u2014including people with pre-existing conditions\u2014and provide residents with a broad set of government-mandated benefits.<\/p>\n
Health insurance does not, however, cover every medical service. Dental and vision care, for example, fall outside of the standard government set of benefits. The majority of Israelis\u201481 percent \u2014purchase a supplemental health insurance plan to \u201cuse the private health care system for services that may not be available in through the public system,\u201d according to a paper by Health Affairs.<\/p>\n