The answer to America's health care cost problem might be in Maryland

Health insurance sign-ups made available to all inmates at the San Francisco county jail, partnered with guidance from a clinic once they are on the outside, allows them to receive better care upon release, and may help prevent a return to crime and substance abuse.

Rural hospitals across the country often struggle to stay open in states where Medicaid has not been expanded, but a method known as "swing beds" has helped two critical-access hospitals in Georgia to avoid this fate. This method, which allows hospitals to swing beds from "only patients in need of acute care to those who no longer require the emergency department but still needed more treatment before a nursing home," allowed for the hospitals to pay off debt and expand services.

Health care in the Netherlands relies heavily on the collaboration, cooperation, and shared responsibility between private markets and government regulations to achieve affordable, consistent, and quality care for patients. Although the system is not without its limitations, this process has helped the country avoid preventable deaths while also guaranting nearly all residents insurance.

Hospitals in New York improve healthcare quality and reduce medical costs by staying in frequent contact with patients requiring frequent or long-term care. Montefiore's Accountable Care Organization pulls in care providers from across the medical and social spectrum to improve patient health while curbing expenses.

Switzerland is home to the world's lowest avoidable mortality rate and residents of the country live longer lives and are healthier than those who live in the United States. Health policy experts credit the Swiss health care system for playing a significant role. Despite the high cost and the penalty for not carrying insurance, the system is praised as guarateeing access to quality health-care and "unlike the U.S., people rarely go bankrupt from medical bills."

Enrolling local agents allows global partners to connect underserved and remote communities to healthcare. A partnership between Rwanda’s Health Ministry and the Boston-based nonprofit, Partners in Health, trains community-based health workers to communicate and connect people on the ground to health services across the country. Rwanda has also implemented reforms and services such as government-subsided healthcare, which has helped improve the life expectancy of its citizens.

In order to battle the government healthcare gaps, the time lost from workers leaving to seek medical attention, and the closing of hospitals, some rural companies have opened their own clinics nearby. This way workers can get medical attention quickly and efficiently, and keep physicians nearby even if hospitals close.

Public private partnerships are helping hospitals in Nigeria provide more efficient care, especially as it relates to maternal health. In Lagos State, the model – which partners a private healthcare management firm with the hospital – has helped better equip facilities so more laboratory tests can be conducted in one place. Although this solution doesn't necessarily solve all problems faced by those seeking care, it has helped to provide a more sustainable model of healthcare in many cases.

Rural hospitals often face a host of problems, especially when it comes to financial troubles; however, a small hospital in Wisconsin has been able to remain open by embracing a merger with a larger health care facility. This has lead to a handful of positive outcomes such as "significantly improved operating margins, higher quality and outcomes and better patient satisfaction"

Building networks of physicians in rural areas helps reduce shortages of healthcare specialists. A partnership between Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana, known collectively as WWAMI, brings doctors to the Northwestern states by offering tuition waivers to doctors who train and remain in rural communities. The program is based out of the University of Washington’s Medical School and connects students with clinics across the partnering states.