by autoexec | 2025-12-07 05:39:39+00:00
> Around 20% of our revenue, in France, goes to the universal healthcare.

I wish we only had to pay 20%!

For those of us who are lucky enough to have health insurance 27% of our paychecks go to it which still doesn't pay for much of what we need. People with insurance commonly need to pay around $30 for every visit to a doctor. That's just the cost to walk in the door and doesn't cover many of the services/treatment your doctor will give you beyond a check up and common types of lab work.

Our poor healthcare system results in a lot of illness and over 60% of Americans need to take prescription drugs every day. Most of the people taking drugs are taking 4 or more. The insurance that takes almost 30% of our income doesn't fully cover those either. Each drug that is covered by your insurance will typically require you pay $10-$20 each month when you pick them up at the pharmacy. It's common for Americans to have to spend $40-$80 for their medications every month. A third of Americans can't afford to fill their prescriptions and are forced to suffer and get sicker. A quarter of Americans report having to put off medical treatment for serious conditions because it is unaffordable.

People without insurance have it much much worse.

That doesn't even include the costs of things like eye care (glasses), dental care, emergencies, specialized treatments, surgeries, ambulance rides, etc. The single greatest cause of finical ruin in America is the cost of healthcare. If people only ever had to pay 20% no one would go bankrupt, or lose their home, or die because of healthcare costs.

Having to pay only 20% of your income to medical expenses would be a dream come true in the US. Please trust me as an American, your system is better by far. Or don't trust me and listen to the countless experts who will tell you that our healthcare system is garbage and that yours is better. That doesn't make your system ideal by any means, but don't envy us or look to us as an example.

> I would rather manage that money myself because I believe I am better at doing so that my government. Isn't that one the core beliefs of Americans?

Not really? Things at a certain scale are impossible for individuals to manage alone. Healthcare expenses are one of those things. Maybe you could shave some percentage points off of your own healthcare spending, but that would cause you to end up in a situation like we have where large numbers of people can't get the care they need at all and are ruined by the expense. For the nation, that's much worse. Even for you it would be worse because having a bunch of sick people living in poverty all around you has far reaching effects. Your odds of getting sick increase. Homelessness increases. Crime increases. Living in a society where people are healthy and taken care of is well worth the extra 5% or even 10% you'd save.

A "free market" is one that exists without any enforcement/interference by the government. I agree that government should intervene to stop the greedy oligarchs from keeping drug prices high, but that would be the literal opposite of a free market. You don't want a free market, you just want better regulation of the healthcare industry and I don't blame you. I do too.