July 3, 2009 at 3:19 pm
#671226
maplesyrup
Participant
I have some colleagues in Europe who tell me their state run system is pretty bad for basic, routine procedures. So it’s mostly there for poor people.
But the care for emergencies and important surgeries is supposed to be top-notch.
So what happens is working class people have a private supplemental policy, often subsidized by their employers, and use that for their routine care. And because they don’t have to cover the more expensive procedures, these supplemental policies cost about 1/3 of what we pay here. (eg. $100/mo. v. $300/mo.)
The point is that a government-provided service doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing scenario.