Denmark and the UK both wear the badge of universal healthcare with pride. Nobody is turned away, nobody is handed a bill on the way out. And the principle – that where you are born or how much you earn should not determine whether you live or die – is sacred in both countries. But principles are not the same as outcomes.
Denmark spends more per person on healthcare than the UK and operates one of the most expansive welfare states on the planet. It consistently outperforms the UK on some of the indicators that matter most: how long people live, how many babies survive their first year, and how many cancer patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. So is Denmark simply spending its way to better health? Or are other factors helping explain the gap?
