When people say "you still pay for a public service with greater tax", while someone champion another's country public system. I love to point out it's still cheaper than the US system. In Australia we each pay 7,000 a year, in tax, for a public system. For everyone. It's worth it.
"But that's socialism!!!!" So? It's *much* cheaper than the US system because the US system is designed for rent-seeking private insurers to siphon off surplus value.
What’s your medical bills like though?? Ever get emergency surgery and a fun $25k bill??
Not in Australia. I think you'll get charged for the ambulance if you need one, but that's the only bill you'll get. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_...
Depends on the state with an ambulance service. In Tasmania it doesn't cost.
You know what’s even crazier? My physicians don’t want to deal with insurance so I actually have to pay them and try to get reimbursement from insurance company.
Ugh. I have to deal with some of that too--not from physicians but supplier of a medical device I have to use. Then there's dentistry, an unending horror where insurers only pay a fraction for a lot of services (even in Europe, I believe).
I can imagine. There would be a disconnect with cost. One side would be trying to minimise while the other want to maximise profits. At least with a public system they're the largest provider around and it's in their best interest to have good outcomes while lowering cost.
I don't want to dump on Obama, because what they did accomplish was incredibly difficult and made things so much better than they used to be, but in comparison with a sensible country (some pretty right-wing, like Singapore) it's ridiculous. And vulnerable as we're seeing tonight.