In 2009, the United States spent $532 per person on health insurance administration, nearly double the next-highest country in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, according to OECD data.
France was second, at $271 per person (as expressed in terms of purchasing power parity), among the 34 countries in the OECD. The country with the lowest per capita cost in 2009 was Italy at $16.4.
Data from the OECD’s Health Data 2011 database show that 7.0% of national health expenditures in both the United States and France went to insurance administration. The only countries that were higher in 2009 were Mexico at 11.3% and New Zealand at 7.2%. Italy was again the lowest, with 0.5% of national health expenditures going to insurance administration; Norway was the second lowest at 0.8%.
Note: Based on data from the Health Data 2011 database. Figures for Japan and Australia are from 2008.
Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development