jeffjohnson777
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Jul 22, 2026 1:31 PM
jeffjohnson777
20613
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10001110101periodictablewithasantapieceofmind
FYI theres a legion of people made rich with the current system and we made the richest of them our leaders. Its only difficult to accomplish because its the bread and butter of the most greedy and powerful assholes weve got. (These people are as susceptible to bullets as any other)
Hovencl00f
Dominican Republic public healthcare is a bit of a joke.
Howlingowl
This map is misleading: Just because Namibia is labeled as having Universal Healthcare Coverage does not mean its people have access to Anti-Malarial drugs they desperately need and deserve. In most cases I’d rather use my insurance and pay for medical treatment in the US than receive the free care offered in other countries.
michaelfire
i.e. developing countries...and the US- completely corrupt. I have an MBA in healthcare. 2 reasons for this: 1) Historical linkage between healthcare and employment to keep their labor's lives tied to their employment (!) 2) Healthcare Corps know they can make the largest profits literally off the lives of consumers- My Dean im my MBA program- Nixon Inflation Czar- says goal is to have sector take 33% of GDP!!- US healthcare: highest cost worst outcomes. https://www.bmj.com/content/386/bmj.q2082
StevieTheAussie
Just a bit of extra information, while us Aussies do have universal healthcare, there are still right-wing assholes trying to overturn that.
Also, it doesn’t cover everything. And dental isn’t covered at all outside of *necessary* extractions.
ShadeMeadowsArt
I'm glad I live in Brazil
RyanH42
And those fat fucks have the nerve to insult Canada's healthcare.
dffksh
Map needs some updating.
Finland hovers now somewhere between light green and blue. Maybe closer to light green.
Thanks to "wellbeing areas" and budget cuts from our Reaganite & Nordic MAGA government, longer hospital stay can cost couple thousand euros. Especially if any arvanced surgery is needed,
And there's a change that cancer patients who live at the wrong area are royally fucked (more effective and more expensive medications might be cut from reimbursed medication lists).
doomedtogrow
Makes me so mad and sad
dreikommavierzehn
Once again, I'm not trying to downplay the problems with US healthcare system. But pictures like this are highly misleading.
I'm from Central Europe, we supposedly have some of the best healthcare systems. My state claims we have no uninsured people. From the top of my head I don't know any other country in the EU that has healthcare insurance for everyone like Germany. In my country, like most, it's tied to employment. You can get insurance through unemployment services, but only as long as >
dreikommavierzehn
you play their games. If you don't or can't you get the boot and bye-bye insurance. We too have copay and services that aren't covered, including medication. Waiting times for doctors covered by insurance can be anywhere from weeks to months or years. You get extra coverage, better treatment or exclusive access to some doctors through private insurance. So far everything pretty much the same as the US.
I reckon the differences are mainly in the costs for the copay and services not covered >
dreikommavierzehn
are simply just lower. Still enough to be basically unaffordable in some cases, but surely not on the wide scale as it happens in the US.
And that most health services are available pretty much everywhere without having to travel far, though I mean that is more a geographic/infrastructure problem I guess.
Whoisthisdoctorwho2000
This is not what we expect to see from the greatest nation on earth.... get your shit together Indonesia!!
thornedrose27
America the sh*thole country. The more I know. The more disappointed I am in my country.
Aranon1183
By the way anime/JRPG characters talk about Japanese healthcare, I was thinking Japan was going to be light green! (And, yes, I'm aware those aren't the most accurate sources, but there is still some validity in the dialogue!)
davebarton315101
My goodness aren’t we in some impressive company. At least when we die unnecessarily we will have the consolation that wealthy people won’t have to.
Marsupialmessiah
The map is not accurate. While you get socialized medical care in peru, it is just barebones basic and you still need to get private coverage for cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Similar thing in Brasil and argentina. Its not dark green as shown here.
B4r4B4d4B45tu
Same goes for Colombia
GimcrackGewgaw
Shh! This purpose of this map is to make the arguments against universal coverage look bad. It's not meant to be accurate.
LincLoud
"Our population is too big" "China's population is bigger than ours" "It's too expensive" "They have a larger population and a lower GDP than we do" "Well...it'd be possible but (blames a scapegoat group for the same issue they've used for every other issue before)"
michaelfire
i.e. developing countries...and the US- completely corrupt. I have an MBA in healthcare. 2 reasons for this: 1) Historical linkage between healthcare and employment to keep labor's lives tied to their employers (!) 2) Healthcarre Corps know they can make the largest profits off the lives of consumers- My Dean om my MBA program- Nixon Inflation Czar- says goal is to have sector take 33% of GDP- US healthcare highest cost worst outcomes. https://www.bmj.com/content/386/bmj.q2082
itsallaboutthecones
What does "not universal" mean?
DiracsDelta
Health insurance companies in the US, in a nutshell. https://youtu.be/IFyxmdnv3qE
ciba666
I'm so proud of the ..... wait a minute...... USA!!!! USA!!! - wait? what?
DunnowForgot
Not exactly true, a lot of those dark green countries are actually light green. But they're still doing a lot better than the red ones.
NoneOfThemKnew
Most dark green countries have some costs (copays, deductibles, etc). I imagine it means little to no premiums? In that case, the US is technically blue for 65+ (Medicare), veterans (VA), and low-income people with no assets (Medicaid). The general point stands, of course. Our system is both less humane and less efficient than a German public option, a Taiwanese single payer system, or even the Swiss souped-up version of Obamacare.
Feralkyn
I've no idea about most of them, but I know that in Germany I rarely pay anything at all unless it's explicitly stated to be something optional, ex. if you'd like your blood typed.
unclesporky
Also, I thought that hospitals in the US had a duty of care, where whether you can pay up front or not, they WILL provide care, and the monetary side of things is figured out afterward. They won't say "sorry mate, those third degree burns look pretty bad, but you don't have cash so we're leaving you on the ground."
Doesn't that imply "universal healthcare, some cost?" (Really, "extreme cost" but the care is there)
TheDildoOfConsequences
You can define terms any way you like, but the question is whether the resulting definition is either useful or generally understood. I think "we'll treat you but you just lost the entirety of your life's savings and your house" is outside most common or useful definitions of universal healthcare.
pullingsixty
Yes, this. Medical bankruptcy and life defining stress is the antithesis of healthcare.
BigDaddysMeatWagon
Technically the U.S. does have "free public healthcare, not universal" by these definitions. Medicaid and Medicare are free, not universal healthcare as well as Contract Health. Yes we need a better health care system but this map is misleading.
KingKrabvoldIV
Yep, this chart is fucking stupid. We can still be honest and want the US to pick up their shit and be better.
TheUglyGuy
Medicare is not free. You pay a monthly premium to enjoy a moderately good insurance plan that you paid into for 50 years.
BigDaddysMeatWagon
Either way, Medicaid and Contract Health still fulfill the "blue" part of the map.
GimcrackGewgaw
Medicare Part A is $0 a month for the vast majority of Americans. If you worked and paid taxes for 10 years, you're in for free. It does have a deductible of like $2K/year. It's a pretty good program and we should get more people in the front door.
AWarningToOthers
Republicans - "Universal healthcare is just to difficult to make happen."
stridert212
*while keeping our corporate donors profit Marge's growing exponentially
johnvilnis
Yeah, only 32 of the top 33 western countries have made it work.
ForPriestSake
I hate hearing the argument that “Europe can do it because their populations are so much smaller then America”
Uh this stuff is funded by taxes. Just means we’ll have more money to do this than other countries.
Sticklebrickk
*Throws 1 trillion dollars at the middle east*
NairouTryyshokk
Its complicated, because insurance companies lobby them to say its complicated, and people buy it because insurance companies make them think their medication really costs a thousand dollars. Insurance needs to be run by the state, never for profit.
pgdave
I don't think their argument is "it's too difficult", their argument is "we fundamentally don't believe that universal healthcare is a good goal, for ideological reasons we prefer a competitive market over government control"
AWarningToOthers
Let me translate that for you. "We don't want brown people to use it."
pgdave
AbeFromanSausageKingOfChicago
Not for…..Namibia though.
desalniettemin
But spending 38 billion on a totally useless war, no problem.
SarcasticComment
if that were true, china wouldn't happen. "we will have death panels"... as if intentional shit corperate AI and practices weren't doing that. It took me some 15 calls to get an insurer to admit we had a baby despite hospital records and doctor paperwork. They intentionally make the system bad
LeoFloof
I have a hard time with (some) folks from the UK and Canada when they complain about how hard it is to get an appointment. I’ve tried explaining that the wait is just as long here PLUS you have to pay for it *even if* you have insurance (here’s looking at you, deductible and coinsurance).
SarcasticComment
then fight them on the obvious. they lost the paperwork we faxed over. then they couldn't open PDFs (which they didn't tell us), then i had to take screenshots of the paperwork we sent twice. 15 phone calls, hours of my life, and work annoyed my claim isn't going well
boxbackknitties
Same as the joke that is the tax code in the us.
slopwizard
A panel deliberating would be better than a guy with a spreadsheet marking "no" on everything
LeoFloof
My insurance company employs another *company* whose entire job is to find ways to deny physical therapy claims for them.
beenbannedb4
Trump himself said "Who'd thought that healthcare was so difficult?" in his first term. And still there's no public healthcare program by the Republicans...
Pikkupanda
Two weeks. It’s coming in the next two weeks.
Caughtintheconcentricelipsesofchaosanditsinnatemadness
"Concepts of an idea."
Aranon1183
too difficult*
lurkyloos
In the U.S. NYC residents will be first with Universal Healthcare.
ThoseRulesArentReal
I read that, but I’m also not sure why once in a while some state or the other keeps declaring that like what are the terms and conditions that we still need to work on that NYC it another first, and does NYC still have loopholes to work on
Pikkupanda
Honestly it could make living in NYC more affordable for me at retirement because I anticipate my premiums to be over 1K and for really crappy care too.
KittenInside
They know for a fact that 'Muricans would not understand how increasing taxes once can be cheaper than ever increasing insurance premiums.
ForlornHopeful
And that the added tax will mean that they'll no longer have to pay insurance. Most of y'all have been conned into believing that increasing taxes is one of the worst things that could possibly happen
nihiltres
Unfun fact: Americans pay a similar amount *per capita, in taxes* towards healthcare as Canadians. American healthcare just costs around double that.
ForPriestSake
Don’t increase taxes, redirect what we already use. Or just tax the rich so we can continue bombing children. Or just tax churches that would be about 3 trillion annually. So many solutions to problems but in my 38 years I’ve rarely seen a problem solved.
beenbannedb4
The notion that most Republican voters have is that Universal Healthcare means that they will be "paying for someone else's healthcare" and "increasing my taxes"; and somehow Healthcare in the US is seen by many as a luxury. When you try to explain to such people that private health insurance IS "paying for someone else's healthcare" PLUS the profits to the provider while having no guarantee of coverage, the usual reply is FREEDOM bullshit.
Comet260
Republicans are NPCs. They get all of their dialogue from Fox News servers. No independent thought to be found.
Hexidimentional
you wouldnt even need to increase taxes, just take it out of the military buget
cryborg
This. Until I'm out of breath this.
Mezinov
You don't even need to do that. What is paid for insurance now includes billions of profits for the insurance companies. You could literally employ everyone working for the insurance companies now (except executives) in a universal public option, have that public option run at cost plus 45, and the amount taken out of peoples checks will still go down - even accounting for an increase in approved treatments. The US system is utterly broken and only doesn't change because some rich guys said no.
Clockworkdancerobot
And somehow, it's just not possible for the US... *eyeroll*
cousteau
And before "but the US is much bigger" -- when you travel to another EU country, you're covered with your EU home country healthcare card (although some previous paperwork is needed). So yeah, we have this EU-wide, not just at individual country level.
swedeonamoose
But think of all the poor insurance companies and their shareholders /s
Caughtintheconcentricelipsesofchaosanditsinnatemadness
Fuck 'em!
TheMightyMollusk
Every time I think of St. Luigi.
ScottPaul57
So, "shithole" countries can do it but we can't.......meaning the insurance companies own our government.
SergeyPrkl
basically all of the red states are conflict zones with ongoing wars, genocides, narco controlled etc. countries with no proper government. Except two. Afghanistan and USA.
cousteau
USA has a proper what now?
AvsFreak
https://media3.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1dmFzeHRsNDQ0eXQ5ZWJ4dDhxcTFxN3E1cmVlaDJsdHVpeWlhOHl5MSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/26FLgGTPUDH6UGAbm/200w.webp
WigsDannyboy
Who you calling a 'shithole' country?
cousteau
Guess "every country that is not the US", going by the mindset of the head of state who used that term openly.
WhyDontYouMakeMe
Russia
Raoul97533
Coming from germany, i have to add that while yes, we have basic coverage by our taxes, paying extra will always get you prefered treatment, and just with the basic coverage you often have to play the system to find help without having to wait months.
Its serviceable, and surely superior to the US system, but money still talks here.
swofromtherock
Recently call to set a basic dental cleaning. Availability starts 7 weeks out.
Maverickaura
You are describing the exact same system the usa has its just we have no basic free version.
LeoFloof
I don’t know if this is still the case, but when I lived in France it was similar to what you described. As a result, employers often offered additional insurance as an incentive to work for their company.
In my opinion, this isn’t a bad option for the US. Universal healthcare so our populous can, ya know, survive, and people with insurance through their employers could have the additional private coverage.
phoenix0path
American here. Made my mental diag appointment in May. First open appointment? November 19th.
I think you still have it better than us. In literally every way.
Feralkyn
We do. Wait times for *general* doctors in Germany are... a couple of days. I might have to wait a bit for a cardiologist or physiotherapist, usually a couple months. Psychs have longer wait periods, 6-12 months if you aren't in immediate danger. But getting blood tests, CTs, MRIs, general doc's appointments, etc. can be a day or two. The specialist wait times are a worldwide issue more pertaining to a lack of those specialists than any issue with a given country.
Infinias
Thanks to decades of effort by leading parties of CDU/CSU and FDP. Especially Jens Spahn is a major asshole that forced the public insurances to use up all of their savings and now they are in shambles. From 25 billion in savings down to under 5 billion. Instead of fixing the system he chose the conservative way of "steal and blame somebody else".
DunnowForgot
At least that hypocrite Jens Spahn finally stepped down a few days ago.
ItTookMeAGoodWhileToComeUpWithAUsername
*only partially stepped down though sadly
DdCno1
Also worth mentioning that "paying extra" does not mean hundreds of thousands like in the US. A relative of mine needed a certain kind of heart surgery. She could have gone to a normal hospital, but wanted the best care possible (understandably), so she booked a stay at a fancy private clinic. Rolls Royces and the likes in the parking lot, wealthy patients from all over the world, faaancy rooms - but she ended up paying a little over 3000€ out of pocket, IIRC, with her insurance covering most.
Haemaelaeinen
The thing is, paying extra in Germany is still way cheaper than they pay for basic shit.
B3N15
Americans wait, its just that they wait to be able to afford it, not for treatment
RufusPimperton
Few in the US fail to understand this. The issue is that we are a selfish, petty, people who actively hate the idea of paying for things we don't personally use (and at worst maliciously don't want other people to benefit). Most underrated good and well that state healthcare is a floor that other are free to build on top of, but enough don't want the floor raised, regardless the benefits.
Feralkyn
...Sure? But it's still free, universal healthcare. When you say "without having to wait months" that's going to depend on the specialist you need; you can always see a regular doc or hop into a hospital for emergencies just... whenever. And specialists have wait times worldwide.
I'm also in Germany and on public healthcare and have never had issues. If it's something serious I'm seen very quickly. It's only certain things like specialist tests (or psychs) that have long wait times and that's
Feralkyn
ofc not unique to any country.
4t0m1c4
Coming from a small, poverty stricken part of the UK, the NHS used to be as it is elsewhere in the UK. These days not so much; I cannot get a doctors appointment for simple ailments due to volume, and even priority acute cases are being left in waiting rooms to suffer or even die due to delays and lack of resources. My feeling and experience is that the fault isn't with our "free" healthcare, it's with underfunding, outsourcing and the pressure to privatise for profit.
Feralkyn
Yeah the NHS is generally a fucking disaster. I have multiple friends in the UK and have heard almost nothing good; it's always delays, more delays, extreme misdiagnoses etc. Very overworked/underfunded. A buddy's pregnant GF could not get a date for her prenatal until after the due date...
4t0m1c4
You've touched a sore subject there. My first daughter was stillborn due to negligence, incompetence, under resourcing and a 2 week delay in delivery due to lack of beds. We've had 2 since, oldest is 16.. so not recent, but it still burns us both as we have had zero mental health support, again because of the lack of resources. I have so many grievances from relatives to grumble about but there's not enough characters.. or willpower here. I hate to admit that it is a fucking disaster, but it is.
Feralkyn
Jesus christ. I'm so sorry.
Here's hoping it can be eventually fixed for anyone else facing the same. The framework is there... but it's just not well supported
4t0m1c4
No it has not been fixed, it's been playing out as "local failures" across the UK. Various maternity wards having inquiries and the "we're so sorry but.." results and payouts to odd victims.. but these are recent for the most part. The basic problems with resourcing and the tendency for organisations and clinicians to close ranks when they make mistakes still go unchecked. No apologies needed, prickly subjects should be discussed more, especially by those affected.
DeanSledgehammer
Same in Finland, but only with non-immediate matters. When your life is at risk you're taken care of fast and effectively and cheaply. For example: I had weird headaches and I usually don't have headaches. My mother had had aneurysm few years ago(she's relatively fine, got lucky) -> I was sent to brain scan asap. I was fine, just random aches, got billed something like 20e.
psmith00
Canadian here and faced a couple of operations in the last few years. no charge except for parking if a friend dropped me off or picked me up and i could have paid more for a private or semi private room.
pullingsixty
I was at Sunnybrook today getting a cortisone shot in my knuckle. Cost me 11 dollars for parking. I had to go to plastic surgery and then down to ultra sound, in and out in just over an hour.
psmith00
the parking rates are terrible around the hospitals. worse than downtown, unless you're at the hospital downtown.
walpurrga
in my experience, i can just walk in to my general practitioner and will be able to get examined within 2h or less. its only specialists that can take so long, and thats only for specific cases. like, if i need an xray or mammogram, i can get an appointment within a day or 2, same with my dermatologist, my gyn, etc. the biggest issue ive had so far was trying to see an eye doctor, that took weeks. ive been living in germany for 6 years now
Feralkyn
Exactly this. Also in Germany, 20+ years.
diemajorthrilldie
Similarly in Ireland - Yes we have basic coverage but the waiting lists for even simple inpatient procedures can be anywhere between years and infinity even if you pay for private health insurance and there's a good chance your hospital bed will be a gurney in a corridor. GP visits range from 50-70 euro (though most insurance policies will return some of that) and you could be waiting 1-2 weeks for an appointment.
If you have something rare or unusual though - best of luck.
diemajorthrilldie
All this is in spite of massive spending on our health system and has been getting gradually worse for decades to the point where we have an arrangement with the UK to send patients for some procedures over to England to get them done.
I'd still take this over the US health system though. I like the idea of not having to deal with the stress of dodging bankruptcy if I'm sick or someone injures me.
SquashDemon
I'm American, I still wait months even with _Good_ health insurance.
Luorric
We pay a lot extra and still have to wait months.
My insurance requires me to assign a primary doctor, only lets me switch once a month. My last doc went out of network, my insurance keeps assigning me new ones that are also out of network and were in the system by mistake. But they force me to wait a month to fix it. Newest one is booked out to Nov.
Also had a referral to see a specialist that's booked out for 7 months, but now they're asking for the referral from the new doc so it'll be >1yr
isetprettygirlsonfire
I have "good" heath insurance in the US that I pay a fuck load of money for, and still have to wait months.
CptRobotNinja
I think that it's fair to point out problems in any socialized healthcare system. They certainly exist and should be addressed. The idea though is to see to it that everyone has coverage first, then figure out how we can improve on that, instead of continuing with a system that only benefits a few and leaves many without the care they need.
Jimthebutler
I havent seen a doctor in years. Cant afford it. Id rather wait a few months.
Feralkyn
This guy's off, anyway. You can see *a regular doctor* literally any time. Usually within a couple days. It's only certain specialist visits that have long wait periods, and that's a worldwide issue more related to a lack of specialists in given fields, ex. psychiatrists, than anything. That being SAID, it's also true that those specialists have the option to prioritise privately insured, who may pay better, so the wait times are worse without--but a regular doc? Any time.
Jimthebutler
Sounds like social safety nets for the health of the public and capitalist incentives to speed or ensure quality of care
Woodcastle
same, can afford it, have healthcare and no one in the area is taking new patients within my current lifetime. Its urgent care or nothing
Jimthebutler
What a marvelous health system we have. So advanced, so accessible and fast /s
DiracsDelta
I mean, name some places on earth where money doesn’t do the talking. But gambling with your life on whether this strange new abdominal pain is bad enough to justify the bill is next level horror.
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
It used to be in Canada that the only way to "jump the line" was to go to another country for healthcare. Healthcare always prioritized those most in need. And private healthcare wasn't allowed - it was illegal to charge for services covered under the universal plan. But of course right-wing politicians have been chipping away at that as much as possible.
DiracsDelta
That’s genuinely wild. I cannot even comprehend the idea of having a bunch of money and not being able to get better or more direct services. That honestly seems better to me. Money shouldn’t get you prioritized over need.
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
Exactly. It should be entirely need-based, no way to jump the line.
TheobromineAddict
It's a myth that Americans don't wait months for health care.
nvchad2
Yep. My primary care doctor is scheduled out more than 6 weeks at all times. That's just for basic stuff...seeing a specialist is at least 4-6 months in my area.
tantallous
My hospital is currently scheduling Feb 2027 for neurology and for sleep medicine. Oct for audiology, urology, gastro. Nothing we can do, just not enough doctors for the number of people needing services.
bortlp
Also confirming. Just went in, I mean literally after seeing this post, my online portal to schedule my annual physical. First available appointment is Oct 21. THREE MONTHS. I have to plan my regular preventative care a quarter of a year in advance, and if something comes up 2 weeks before, rescheduling pushes it back another month or 2. Which really sucks because I have to see my doctor for him to re-prescribe my BP meds, every year.
arumunus
Yep. I asked my doctor a prescription question over the online portal that's designed for such things-
-Their response was to say they'd answer it in a $400 video call appointment.
This started at the end of June. The appointment isn't until the 26th. I'm expecting to be told there's nothing they can do. :/
The only reason I'm going through with it is I'm on Medicaid, genuinely need the drug, and they're the specialist who'd prescribe it.
TheUglyGuy
Yeah. My 5 day follow-up after a procedure had to be scheduled 2 1/2 months later. Not sure how useful it was as a follow-up.
VolcanoHerder
Can confirm. I am currently waiting to see a doctor. Next PCP appointment in my area is October. I was able to get a referral to a specialist in May and my appointment is in mid September. I can't drive, can't do much beyond basic home tasks, may lose my job by then. It's already cost me thousands and we aren't close to a diagnosis. I've had to call 7 times to get my MRI results sent to my Dr and they still haven't been received. The system here is terrible AND expensive.
Luorric
Hey I'm not sure how much this will help but sometimes insurances will offer what they usually call a "Case manager" to help move things along, especially when there are issues getting hold of things like test results and imaging.
If not, I super suggest asking for an email when you try to get the MRI results. Ask for them to be emailed to you directly, sometimes they ask you to fill out some release of medical information forms for it but it is infinitely valuable having that info on hand.
VolcanoHerder
Yes, thank you! I do have a case manager, she's been calling in addition to my calls.
I've been able to get a hold of the reports myself and finally got a link from my Drs office to send them (they can't take emails and I can't upload voluntarily on my portal).
It's just ridiculous that it's SO hard. And this is just the most recent of my many medical records that are impossible to access or send to my specialists.
Thank you for the suggestions though, it's been a nightmare.
LebistusReticulatis
The Netherlands should be light green.
Cosmopolit
And Switzerland. Very expensive (what isn't)
onlyhalfghost
Canada too.
svon1
even worse that thing must have been made by Americans.... because they split Cuba into 2 countries....
DisUsernameAmsDildos
Don't tell me that the Internet is lying to me!
LebistusReticulatis
The internet IS lying to you. Sorry about the inconvenience
DisUsernameAmsDildos
https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPWE1NzM3M2U1cW51bng2NWZjOGRmb2F6cDdpeWV4emNqZjRmb2FtdjBmYnhnNW4wcyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/4OowbIsmYHbpu/200w.webp
GimcrackGewgaw
And the US should be blue. Medicaid, medicare, VA cover a third of the population.
InkyBlinkyPinkyAndClyde
I thought that at least medicaid and medicare came with costs which used to be small but are now getting quite large. Not sure about VA.
GimcrackGewgaw
Part A is still free (deductible tho). Other parts come with costs but are a still a great deal. Similar to lots of countries, there are some costs, even for gov-covered people.
PileOfWalthers
Little/no cost for Germany is relative/matter of opinion and/or perspective. But put as “little to no cost” it’s plain wrong.
TheDildoOfConsequences
Yes, the map is very poorly phrased. It should be described as "free / low cost **at the point of use**". Obviously no country can magically materialise a modern healthcare infrastructure out of nowhere.
korndogg83
Public health insurance is calculated at 14.6% of your income + ~3% extra (Zusatzbeitrag). You pay the full amount as self-employed, otherwise your employer covers half. Public insurance is so expensive it’s often cheaper to go private if you’re self-employed.
korndogg83
Also there’s a compulsory (long-term) care insurance of 3.6% in case you get so sick that you can’t look after yourself. So 13.6+3+3.6 =21.2% of income (as a single payer)
korndogg83
But I have no idea where the notion originated that 17.6% of your income is little to no cost.
PileOfWalthers
It’s little to no cost if you don’t have an income.
connectingthedots
Only as long as you qualify for unemployment benefits or social security. Regarding the latter - with the new Grundsicherung, having >10k EUR (single)/>20k (married or partnered) in the bank means you'll be paying health insurance out of your own pocket. That was a CDU/CSU passion project.