General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Bernie Sanders talks universal Medicare, and 1.1 million people click to watch him [View all]Sophia4
(3,515 posts)And since, where we lived, the insurance costs were paid as a percentage of my husband's paycheck as a teacher, we paid relatively little. (Mostly because he didn't earn a lot.)
Our insurance included dental insurance and lots of other things that American insurance does not include unless you pay extra.
In German-speaking countries, doctors used to send patients for the "Kur" a spa to detox, etc. I never went because I was young and healthy and never drank or was an alcoholic. But things were paid for that we would not consider should be paid for by insurance.
A lot of what we pay for insurance is profit to the shareholders in the insurance companies. I think that is horrible. People making money from the bad health, bad luck and misfortune of the sick, injured and disabled.
Please see my post elsewhere. I compare prices and outcomes in a very superficial way, but it tells the story. We can afford single payer. In fact, we can't afford the system we have. And the cost should be a percentage of a person's paycheck, not a certain amount that is the same for everyone or that depends on the extent of your policy.