This weekend we had to leave our condo for some maintenance. As this is off season we elected to stay at a beach resort in town. We were at the hot tib when Australian got in. Somehow the conversation touched on health care. He told about the single payer system, but said, you have to pay 1 percent of your wages for it. I though, I am paying 1.5 percent now and I don’t get tge healthcare until I am 65.
Really? In addition to the 1.5 percent I am paying now, I am paying about 3 percent for health indurance and my company is paying another 7 or 8 percent or more. A single payer plan at 5 percent would be the deal of the century. Even 10 percent would be a decent trade.
Well, that’s probably how much he sees that’s officially earmarked and recognised as the contribution to the healthcare system. A bit like the UK’s National Insurance contributions that I paid (and might well be called something else now) Of course, that wasn’t the only source of financing…in addition to direct taxation there’s all the add ons from various indirect taxation sources that make living in the UK seem so much more expensive on first sight.
For sure, I don’t doubt it’s cheaper than the US and for “more”…but likely a bit more than he realises.