• Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    38
    ·
    edit-2
    3 months ago

    The US government spends the most per capita for healthcare and that money is used to cover only a minority of citizens.

    People are then paying extra for private insurance over that.

    Having a governmental monopoly for healthcare is the best because the government can decide how much medications and services cost, the providers don’t have a choice since they only have one client and that client’s goal isn’t to make profit or to make sure others are making profit, its goal is to pay as little as possible.

    • StThicket@reddthat.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      37
      ·
      3 months ago

      Norway has universal healthcare for everyone. Going to the ER is free. Ambulance is free. Surgery is free. Checkups and tests are heavily subsidised where we only pay a small fee (like $20). If you spend more than x-amount on fees annually, you get the fees waived for the remainder of the year.

      We have health insurances, but that will only allow you to go to private clinics with less wait times. These insurances are normally paid by employers with highly skilled workers. It’s not considered to be a necessity.

      The Norwegian healthcare isn’t cheap, and we pay around 35-40% income tax, and 25% VAT, but our income doesn’t dictate what type of services we’re allowed to get. Poverty is low, and crime rates are low.

      Socialism works.

    • ripcord@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      3 months ago

      A minority? Howso? Does that mean most people are uninsured? Or just that the majority of insurance payments go to less than 50% of people? Or…?

      Just hadn’t heard that one before, so curious about details.

      • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        edit-2
        3 months ago

        Public healthcare insurance covers about a third of the population, the rest are either uninsured or covered by private insurance.

        • Juice@midwest.social
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          edit-2
          3 months ago

          Medicare only exists to cover the most expensive patients who require the most care, so that we can support a massive private insurance industry, and to ensure that industry remains profitable.

          Anyone who denies that this system exists to explicitly elevate one class of people over another whom are exploited is living in a fantasy world

      • ripcord@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        3 months ago

        Ah, I assumed you meant the US in general spends the most, including for public and private.

        • Kecessa@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          2
          ·
          edit-2
          3 months ago

          Let me repeat what I said.

          The US Government spends the most PER TOTAL CAPITA (that is $/330 million citizens) and that money only insures a monitory of citizens, a big chunk of the population ALSO spends money for private coverage OVER the share of their taxes that goes to pay for public coverage.

          The US government spends 12k * 330 million citizens for public health coverage to cover about a third of those citizens, in Canada it’s about 6k * 40 million citizens that we spend to cover everyone!