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I don't want to dox myself, but you can probably guess which western European country doesn't. Healthcare isn't US level expensive there where you'll go bankrup

I don't want to dox myself, but you can probably guess which western European country doesn't. Healthcare isn't US level expensive there where you'll go bankrupt with any minor issue but still prohibitively expensive if you don't make much and break your arm for example, so it's somewhat essential. A colleague of mine got diagnosed with a serious heart condition, was away for a month or so without sick pay, got fired as a result and went bankrupt from medical bills.

pimlottc 10y ago
> I don't want to dox myself, but you can probably guess which western European country doesn't. Maybe this is supposed to be an easy question, but as an American, I have no idea which western European country doesn't have socialized medicine, and Wikipedia is not helping me out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_universal_health_care https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_univers...
- _asummers 10y ago
  I believe Belarus is the only European one without it, Google wasn't giving me a good list of "nos", but I found a map indicating as much..
  - 77pt77 10y ago
    Belarus is definitely not Western Europe.
- traveling 10y ago
  Ok I'm going to give you the country, it's Ireland. Some medical card for the destitute exists but if you're working you don't qualify. The whole medical system is a nightmare, but it's a very small country as well.
  - yardie 10y ago
    From the description I assumed it was one of the more Eastern European countries like Romania. I've never looked at Ireland like that. I assumed they had the same setup as most of western EU countries.
    - s_kilk 10y ago
      [Born and raised Irish, left at the first opportunity ] Ireland is a weird (and sometimes nightmarish) mix of European and American culture. For some reason we decided that some of the dumbest ideas of the US simply had to be implemented, at great cost to the average citizen.
- hackermailman 10y ago
  In Canada, specifically BC if you fail to pay monthly medical premiums you have no health insurance either they sell your account to collections and you have to pay cash for any doctor visit. Since private health is not available you're screwed and have to either leave the province to get health insurance again or continue paying cash. There's always loopholes in socialized medicine usually only affecting the poor.
senior_james 10y ago
I keep hearing that you will 'go bankrupt' with every minor health issue in the US. Do you actually live in the US? Have you used US healthcare? I pay for my own health insurance (because I own my own company) and while not cheap, it's affordable. I think I pay around $250 US/month. I get regular checkups included (most prescriptions cost me $10 or less) and I had a colonoscopy last year and it cost me less that $50. If I had major surgery, I would be out a couple of grand. While it does have problems, it's nowhere near as bad as many would like you to think.
- tyingq 10y ago
  Aside from the deductible, most insurance plans in the US cover only a percentage of costs. 80 or 90 percent is common. For a single, simple, surgery it's bearable. Something like cancer, with ct scans, chemo, radiation, surgery with a 1 week hospital stay, etc...can bankrupt you.
  - brianwawok 10y ago
    90 percent up to out of pocket max. My out of pocket max has always been between 1k and 5k per year. So if I need 1 million dollar cancer treatment, I don't pay 100k. I pay 5k. So no I cannot go bankrupt with health insurance in the US.
    - tyingq 10y ago
      The ACA did fix some of that, but there are situations that can still be challenging. The max out of pocket can be higher than yours..close to $8k/person, and it's annual, so if you get sick late in the year, the clock starts over. It's also not uncommon to have to go out of network for certain types of treatment, which opens up more doors. Also, many people aren't able to work when they are sick.
    - senior_james 10y ago
      I see you have actual experience with the system. Most people commenting here seem to be parroting talking points from politicians. When I actually post my real experiences, I get down voted to -2. ....and we wonder why there are so many broken systems in the US.

pimlottc 10y ago

> I don't want to dox myself, but you can probably guess which western European country doesn't. Maybe this is supposed to be an easy question, but as an American, I have no idea which western European country doesn't have socialized medicine, and Wikipedia is not helping me out. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_universal_health_care https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_univers...

_asummers 10y ago
I believe Belarus is the only European one without it, Google wasn't giving me a good list of "nos", but I found a map indicating as much..
- 77pt77 10y ago
  Belarus is definitely not Western Europe.
traveling 10y ago
Ok I'm going to give you the country, it's Ireland. Some medical card for the destitute exists but if you're working you don't qualify. The whole medical system is a nightmare, but it's a very small country as well.
- yardie 10y ago
  From the description I assumed it was one of the more Eastern European countries like Romania. I've never looked at Ireland like that. I assumed they had the same setup as most of western EU countries.
  - s_kilk 10y ago
    [Born and raised Irish, left at the first opportunity ] Ireland is a weird (and sometimes nightmarish) mix of European and American culture. For some reason we decided that some of the dumbest ideas of the US simply had to be implemented, at great cost to the average citizen.
hackermailman 10y ago
In Canada, specifically BC if you fail to pay monthly medical premiums you have no health insurance either they sell your account to collections and you have to pay cash for any doctor visit. Since private health is not available you're screwed and have to either leave the province to get health insurance again or continue paying cash. There's always loopholes in socialized medicine usually only affecting the poor.

senior_james 10y ago

I keep hearing that you will 'go bankrupt' with every minor health issue in the US. Do you actually live in the US? Have you used US healthcare? I pay for my own health insurance (because I own my own company) and while not cheap, it's affordable. I think I pay around $250 US/month. I get regular checkups included (most prescriptions cost me $10 or less) and I had a colonoscopy last year and it cost me less that $50. If I had major surgery, I would be out a couple of grand. While it does have problems, it's nowhere near as bad as many would like you to think.

tyingq 10y ago
Aside from the deductible, most insurance plans in the US cover only a percentage of costs. 80 or 90 percent is common. For a single, simple, surgery it's bearable. Something like cancer, with ct scans, chemo, radiation, surgery with a 1 week hospital stay, etc...can bankrupt you.
- brianwawok 10y ago
  90 percent up to out of pocket max. My out of pocket max has always been between 1k and 5k per year. So if I need 1 million dollar cancer treatment, I don't pay 100k. I pay 5k. So no I cannot go bankrupt with health insurance in the US.
  - tyingq 10y ago
    The ACA did fix some of that, but there are situations that can still be challenging. The max out of pocket can be higher than yours..close to $8k/person, and it's annual, so if you get sick late in the year, the clock starts over. It's also not uncommon to have to go out of network for certain types of treatment, which opens up more doors. Also, many people aren't able to work when they are sick.
  - senior_james 10y ago
    I see you have actual experience with the system. Most people commenting here seem to be parroting talking points from politicians. When I actually post my real experiences, I get down voted to -2. ....and we wonder why there are so many broken systems in the US.