Same applies with medical care in the public sector, NHS consultants are in the top 1% of earners in the UK but it didn’t stop them from going on strike for more.
How much do you pay for health insurance in UK?
Do UK citizens pay for health insurance?
UK residents get free treatment on the NHS, so you only really need private medical insurance if: You would prefer not to wait for NHS treatment.
Well, nothing is ever truly ‘free’. You pay for it with taxes.
I would rather have it taken out of my taxes and be guaranteed health care than what we have right now in the U.S.
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Not forget to mention that in england the tax is really low comparing to germany where you have to pay for health insurance like a donkey and also tax which is higher in germany comparing to UK.
I do wonder when we talk about different single payer systems like UK, Germany, Canada, if we’re comparing apples and Toyotas ?
Taxation levels probably vary widely based on what is and isnt covered
For instance here we have a single payer system for most things ; but also have supplementary insurance for those things that are not covered by the single payer system
Whats not covered here ?
The biggest items are Dental, Vision care, & Prescriptions
But then there are lots of other incidentals like Ambulance services, semi-private & private rooms and even some deinsured procedures.
Many employers offer plans to cover those extras as part of employment. But not all do.
EDIT So it’s not uncommon to have someone visit a doctor, get a prescription and then not be able to fulfill that prescription as it’s too expensive. END EDIT
If these are all covered in other places then I can see why taxes might be higher there
Our health taxes are not explicitly taxed as a separate line item
We pay provincial & federal income taxes as well as property taxes and a few others buried in the price of things like gasoline, and other energy.
So I could not tell you how much my “health taxes” are - they’re hidden from view here
EDIT II And this varies from province to province here which is, IMHO, quite nuts given how our constitution works. END EDIT
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Preaching to the choir. As a business owner of over 20 years it was the ONE thing that caused us the most grief every year and our biggest expense. I’d rather have had higher taxes than having to deal with that BS every.single.year.
You’re only really guaranteed it in the case of an emergency otherwise you might get it at some indeterminate point in the future.
And don’t be surprised if you’ve waited months ( maybe even years ) for your hospital appointment to come around and then it gets cancelled on the day. And again, and again …
This has happened to several people I know and it’s the reason, despite already having been fleeced with exorbitant taxes, I still feel the need to pay for private insurance.
Are you speaking of the US system ?
or another ?
In my experience here in Canada emergencies get taken care of ASAP
Routine things get scheduled appts - but I cant say I recall the last time my appt got bumped to another date or that became urgent while waiting for my appt
Or unusually long delays
Now, I can say I’ve been relatively healthy and so haven’t had to deal with a lot of issues
I do know some who have.
One friend is barely 50 and really needs knee replacement surgery from too many years playing volleyball & doing gymnastics and has really messed up knees
And has had for several years (maybe 10)
But, at her age, she’s not a priority despite the fact it does cause her issues
Which IMHO seems really sucky as knee replacement surgery for her at her age would be a real bonus to her quality of life
But they only tend to last about 20 years and they just dont want to do them twice
So she is waiting - but its not completely debilitating either
Just not as good as it could be
She has been told that IF it got worse then they would likely do it
But she can golf and do other such things
Just not ballroom dancing I guess
So no socialized medicine like we have here is NOT perfect
But I do not hear of people declaring bankruptcy here because of medical debt
Or other such horror stories that we commonly hear from the USA about the health care system, the costs, etc
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Lately we have been studying the Indian market for future investments.
One thing that struck us about Health Care was that the Indian Government issues/provides Health Insurance Card which allow the holder and his/her family to take treatment for a amount not exceeding half a million INR per year.
I’m not sure if that question was for me but if it was I was posting about the UK’s NHS. Urgent / emergency stuff gets done but anything else you could be in for a looong wait and even when you think your time has come you can get bumped right up to the very last minute.
Even with the urgent stuff there can be a lack of privacy / dignity though, you can be on a ward ( or even on a rolling bed in a corridor ) with a dozen+ beds plus visitors in and out. In contrast when I had surgery through my insurance I had a private room with en-suite, TV and a balcony overlooking manicured gardens.
In theory there is NHS dentistry here but there’s no availability so it’s really a case of pay ( again ) or go without. Some people with chronic conditions are entitled to free prescriptions but most have to pay.