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< In Germany the health care system is based on 'Beiträge', i.e. membership contributions to a health insurance. Is it mandatory? If so, it's a tax in my book.
by ams6110 9y ago
< In Germany the health care system is based on 'Beiträge', i.e. membership contributions to a health insurance.
Is it mandatory? If so, it's a tax in my book.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- lispm 9y agoTax-based (example: NHS of United Kingdom) Public -> pays to general government budget -> government pays to health care services vs. Social Healthcare Insurance (example: Germany) Employer + Employee + self-employed + Students + Pensioner -> pay to Private/Public Sickness funds/Insurers -> Sickness funds/Insurers pays to health care services See: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/how-health-care-is-funded https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/how-health-care-is...
- kuschku 9y agoNo. You can leave the public insurance system at any time, and get a private insurance. But if you have ever done so, you can never return into the public system.
- germanier 9y agoYou cannot leave at "any time". To qualify, you need to have an income of over 59k € or be a freelancer. For most others (which is most of the population) private insurance is not possible. You can however purchase additional insurance on top of the public one.
- kuschku 9y agoWell, this is HN, a forum for mostly software engineers, so an income of over 59k€ should be expected. You are right, though, if one considers the average citizen.