The rest of the world thinks you're silly

[Seamus Fermanagh]

The TLDR would be:

How come USA, claiming to be rich, can NOT afford what other nations, worse off, easily can?
How come USA doesn't WANT a healthy populace?



Seamus>>> That's a whole lot of monetary reasons. I grant that the US has more fatties, but apart from that, you should be able to give USAnians the same healthcare as, say, Austria and Sweden, no?

It's not like breast or prostate cancer is an USAnian invention, now is it?

The USA has always had more of a laissez-faire attitude toward the issue than most.


In addition, we traditionally have not been willing to accept the rate of taxation necessary to fund such a program as the Austrian two-tier. The total tax burden on yanks with the highest income streams is usually less than 50% including federal income taxes, state and local sales and property taxes/fees, and other minor levies. Our capital gains tax is set at 23.8% for our highest earner brackets (and many of our richest have little or no wage income thus qualifying for the 15 capital gains rate).

Many if not most Austrian wage earners pay 41% or 50% income tax rates, you have a value added tax on goods and services of 16% (10% for subsistence-related stuff), and a 25% capital gains with fewer loopholes.

Historically, USA'ers have been unwilling to accept the tax burden shouldered by the typical Austrian...and national health care cannot be paid for without same. TANSTAAFL.


Our health costs are the highest in the world per capita because: 1) our lifestyle as an aggregate is not the healthiest (wealth has its costs too), 2) we have the most cutting edge medical stuff/treatments/etc. in the world and the R&D costs for that are passed to the consumer indirectly, 3) we are viciously litigious and the malpractice costs for physicians are outrageous, again passed to the consumer, and 4) we have the worst of all worlds in terms of our specific combination of fee-for-service, private insurance, government regulation and coverage.

There is no doubt that the current system is far less cost effective than it should be...I am just doubting that the ACA will actually improve upon things.