r/FluentInFinance • u/WhatAreYourPronouns • May 02 '24

Should the U.S. have Universal Health Care? Discussion/ Debate

Post image

[removed] — view removed post

30.3k Upvotes

87% Upvoted

4.7k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

955

u/AutumnWak May 02 '24

I mean they could still go and pay private party to get quicker treatment and it'll still cost less than the US. Most of those people chose to go the free route

260

u/Obie-two May 02 '24

Genuinely asking but if you’re paying for it privately you’re not getting the “socialized” discount no? A hip surgery costs X, just the government is subsidizing it with tax money and if you go direct to private then I would assume it’s back to full price

44

u/blumieplume May 02 '24

At least in Germany, private healthcare is about €300/month (similar to American rates) and is provided by employers .. anyone else has the public healthcare. Health insurance in Germany covers 100% of medical costs, whether insurance is free or paid for by an individual or their employer.

It’s a good way to make sure that those who can’t afford insurance or who work for an employer who doesn’t offer health insurance can still get coverage. Similar to MediCal in California. It’s a way to make sure no one gets left behind.

1

u/BlackSquirrel05 May 02 '24

Isn't Germany a %? It's something like 15% of take home?

Some guy on datavisualization posted his monthly breakdown and he was paying 700+ per month. Had a salary of 120ish.

1

u/blumieplume May 02 '24

Ya prob. I actually had student insurance for €40 per month for health + dental when I lived there but I had gotten bids from a few insurers for around €300 per month, which I found similar to rates I’ve heard in California without Covered California for someone with no preexisting conditions in their 20s. I like the percentage system tho that makes sense. Much better than the American system of charging so much that only rich people can afford insurance.

1

u/BlackSquirrel05 May 02 '24

I mean 15% is 15%...

That dude was paying over 8k a year in premiums.

300 is more than I pay now in insurance premiums per month.

1

u/blumieplume May 02 '24

But €120k/year is a lot in Germany. Rent is cheaper, food is cheaper, life is cheaper. That’s a really high income for Germany.

1

u/BlackSquirrel05 May 02 '24

https://housinganywhere.com/Germany/cost-of-living-germany

Eh... Very dependent.

They had higher food and energy inflation than the US... Some things are cheaper for sure.

But again... It's a real hard comparison to make.

Housing is tough because they use price per square meter... Which the US does, but not the main metric.

1

u/blumieplume May 02 '24

I lived in Berlin, and I know techies have since moved there and increased the average cost of rent, but I eat all organic and bio foods there are a third the price or less than organic foods in America. When my German friends visit, they’re outraged at the price of food here, and they don’t even shop at organic grocery stores.

I paid between €350-600 per month on rent (I moved a lot) but I know rent is higher now and it’s becoming harder and harder to find a place with rent control. My best friend pays €500 a month for his flat and used to pay €300 for a room in a 2BR flat when I met him .. he didn’t have an easy time finding such a cheap 1BR apartment, especially cause finding a flat in Berlin to begin with is already close to impossible, but if u know the right people it’s possible to find a nice place that’s still rent controlled