4 ms·

75usd on a phone bill? Really? Basic plans with unlimited calls and texts, and maybe half a gig of data are about £6-8 (say 8-10USD) here (1). 75 USD should be

75usd on a phone bill? Really? Basic plans with unlimited calls and texts, and maybe half a gig of data are about £6-8 (say 8-10USD) here (1). 75 USD should be enough for 6 months service in any other western country, easily. The cell phone bill makes me question how realistic this "simulator" is. Are the healthcare costs realistic? Obviously in every other western country these costs would be zero (or very close to zero if you don't qualify for 100% free prescriptions in the UK at least). Is healthcare really that bad in the US? Really? Genuinely staggering if so. 1 - https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/compare/sim_only_deals/ https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/compare/sim_only_deals/

brianwawok 8y ago
We don't have great cheapo phone plans compared to Europe. I think the fancy pants bells and whistles ones can be closer. Healthcare tends to suck if you don't get it provided by your workplace. If you have a job with healthcare, your outcomes are pretty decent (on average, better than Europe in many cases, for example Cancer survival rates). If you don't have a job it is all free, as no one to make a broke person pay. If you are in the doughnut of <have a few dollars> to <paying $300 a month for healthcare> is a big deal you are really screwed. Developers are past that doughnut, so we do okay. Plenty of people do not though.
Raphmedia 8y ago
(Canadian) I pay $35/month for 1GB of mobile internet + unlimited phone calls/texts. Over that, I pay 47$/month for unlimited 30Mbps internet. That's ignoring taxes. Take a look: https://www.planhub.ca/quebec/compare-cellphone-plan/0min.1000MB.2.1-9-2-5-8-6-7-4-10 https://www.planhub.ca/quebec/compare-cellphone-plan/0min.10... https://www.planhub.ca/quebec/compare-internet-plan/search?locality=nc&postal=nc&downloadspeed=30Mbps&uploadspeed=0Mbps&bandwidth=unlimited-data&services=&provider=all-carriers&searchinput=%20 https://www.planhub.ca/quebec/compare-internet-plan/search?l... Remember that the province I live in is more the size of France and is covered with ice during winter. Carriers have to support the entire province and then the entire country. See those size comparison: https://mapfight.appspot.com/quebec-vs-fr/quebec-france-size-comparison https://mapfight.appspot.com/quebec-vs-fr/quebec-france-size... https://mapfight.appspot.com/ca-vs-fr/canada-france-size-comparison https://mapfight.appspot.com/ca-vs-fr/canada-france-size-com...
- jcelerier 8y ago
  For reference, as a french, I pay ~24€ for 50GB of mobile internet, and unlimited phone calls / text in France, but also from / to europe (now mandatory) as well as USA and Canada
- ainiriand 8y ago
  Ireland, I pay 35€ unlimited data, calls, roaming. Virgin Media.
- grawprog 8y ago
  I'm with freedom mobile and pay about the same in bc. But I get no service outside the cities and certain areas and my data gets slowed after 2GB I think. A lot of people I know here on telus or Rogers pay insane prices for slow capped data. A coworker of mine was freaking out recently about a $700 phone bill he got for apparently going over his data limit. There was no proof of this from telus and his phone disagreed heavily with how much they'd said he'd used. I can't remember the exact amount but it was ridiculous more than I can use in a month unless I really try though my home WiFi let alone on a mobile. He talked to them but In the end he still had to pay something like $150. I'd like to say thinga like that don't happen often. But it seems like I hear stories about it fairly regularly. Telus plans start at around $80/month https://www.telus.com/en/mobility/plans?linktype=nav https://www.telus.com/en/mobility/plans?linktype=nav Rogers at $85 for 3GB of data https://www.rogers.com/consumer/wireless/smartphone-plans https://www.rogers.com/consumer/wireless/smartphone-plans
crooked-v 8y ago
For a comparison, look at https://ting.com/rates https://ting.com/rates, where the cheapest single line plan starts at $6/mo just as the base price and goes up from there depending on your call/text/data usage. Other prepaid plans also start out at around $35 for the kind of usage you're talking about[1], and that's without considering the effects of needing a cell carrier that reliably covers both work and home. [1]: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-35-Unlimited-30-Day-Plan-with-2GB-of-data-at-high-speeds-then-2G-Email-Delivery-Extra-Data-Promo-Available/300594019 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-35-Unlimited-30-Day...
jldugger 8y ago
This thing was published in 2011, so the cell phone bill is on the high side. But the medical costs are legit. If you think it's bad, consider that taxes are generally lower to compensate for the premiums the state isn't paying.
herbst 8y ago
> any western country I pay between $50 and $80 per month on a prepaid plan that generously gives me 20mb(!!) of fast Internet a day. What you describe would cost about $40, or with a more realistic 2GB at least 50$-60$ per month. No phone included. Yes this is Switzerland. But having owned phone plans in many western and non western countries there definitly are big exceptions between countries.
- tpolzer 8y ago
  You're overpaying. Wingo will give you very good network coverage, a gigabyte of data per month and free calls for 25$ a month.
  - herbst 8y ago
    Heh. They didn't exist last time I bought a sim. And when I checked them I closed it after reading 'no gateways' however it does seem like a perfect option otherwise.
cameldrv 8y ago
It varies on a state by state basis, but the government provides the Lifeline phone subsidy. In California for example, you can get Assurance Wireless/Virgin Mobile for free with unlimited minutes/texts and 2GB of data. They'll also give you a free Android phone.
ASalazarMX 8y ago
The game is rigged to encourage you to struggle and empathize. The initial setting is truly a hardship by itself: unemployed, homeless, single parent $7,500 in credit card debt, delayed car payments and only $1,000 left. I managed to reach a month, but in that month: a relative died, the landlord arbitrarily increased the rent $150 BEFORE the end of the month, a kid broke a window that cost $100 to replace, got an incontestable false speeding ticket for 250, the car broke and a dental problem needing $800 developed, got depression, etc. How much can this guy endure? Also, this guy should have had food stamps already. Maybe he didn't qualify before? I figure him at 45-50, trying to get a job like the one he just lost and letting things go too far before realizing he had to get a low-paying one. It makes you think, that's for sure.
chickenfries 8y ago
Haven’t played the game but many low income people finance their phones.

brianwawok 8y ago

We don't have great cheapo phone plans compared to Europe. I think the fancy pants bells and whistles ones can be closer. Healthcare tends to suck if you don't get it provided by your workplace. If you have a job with healthcare, your outcomes are pretty decent (on average, better than Europe in many cases, for example Cancer survival rates). If you don't have a job it is all free, as no one to make a broke person pay. If you are in the doughnut of <have a few dollars> to <paying $300 a month for healthcare> is a big deal you are really screwed. Developers are past that doughnut, so we do okay. Plenty of people do not though.

Raphmedia 8y ago

(Canadian) I pay $35/month for 1GB of mobile internet + unlimited phone calls/texts. Over that, I pay 47$/month for unlimited 30Mbps internet. That's ignoring taxes. Take a look: https://www.planhub.ca/quebec/compare-cellphone-plan/0min.1000MB.2.1-9-2-5-8-6-7-4-10 https://www.planhub.ca/quebec/compare-cellphone-plan/0min.10... https://www.planhub.ca/quebec/compare-internet-plan/search?locality=nc&postal=nc&downloadspeed=30Mbps&uploadspeed=0Mbps&bandwidth=unlimited-data&services=&provider=all-carriers&searchinput=%20 https://www.planhub.ca/quebec/compare-internet-plan/search?l... Remember that the province I live in is more the size of France and is covered with ice during winter. Carriers have to support the entire province and then the entire country. See those size comparison: https://mapfight.appspot.com/quebec-vs-fr/quebec-france-size-comparison https://mapfight.appspot.com/quebec-vs-fr/quebec-france-size... https://mapfight.appspot.com/ca-vs-fr/canada-france-size-comparison https://mapfight.appspot.com/ca-vs-fr/canada-france-size-com...

jcelerier 8y ago
For reference, as a french, I pay ~24€ for 50GB of mobile internet, and unlimited phone calls / text in France, but also from / to europe (now mandatory) as well as USA and Canada
ainiriand 8y ago
Ireland, I pay 35€ unlimited data, calls, roaming. Virgin Media.
grawprog 8y ago
I'm with freedom mobile and pay about the same in bc. But I get no service outside the cities and certain areas and my data gets slowed after 2GB I think. A lot of people I know here on telus or Rogers pay insane prices for slow capped data. A coworker of mine was freaking out recently about a $700 phone bill he got for apparently going over his data limit. There was no proof of this from telus and his phone disagreed heavily with how much they'd said he'd used. I can't remember the exact amount but it was ridiculous more than I can use in a month unless I really try though my home WiFi let alone on a mobile. He talked to them but In the end he still had to pay something like $150. I'd like to say thinga like that don't happen often. But it seems like I hear stories about it fairly regularly. Telus plans start at around $80/month https://www.telus.com/en/mobility/plans?linktype=nav https://www.telus.com/en/mobility/plans?linktype=nav Rogers at $85 for 3GB of data https://www.rogers.com/consumer/wireless/smartphone-plans https://www.rogers.com/consumer/wireless/smartphone-plans

crooked-v 8y ago

For a comparison, look at https://ting.com/rates https://ting.com/rates, where the cheapest single line plan starts at $6/mo just as the base price and goes up from there depending on your call/text/data usage. Other prepaid plans also start out at around $35 for the kind of usage you're talking about[1], and that's without considering the effects of needing a cell carrier that reliably covers both work and home. [1]: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-35-Unlimited-30-Day-Plan-with-2GB-of-data-at-high-speeds-then-2G-Email-Delivery-Extra-Data-Promo-Available/300594019 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Straight-Talk-35-Unlimited-30-Day...

jldugger 8y ago

This thing was published in 2011, so the cell phone bill is on the high side. But the medical costs are legit. If you think it's bad, consider that taxes are generally lower to compensate for the premiums the state isn't paying.

herbst 8y ago

> any western country I pay between $50 and $80 per month on a prepaid plan that generously gives me 20mb(!!) of fast Internet a day. What you describe would cost about $40, or with a more realistic 2GB at least 50$-60$ per month. No phone included. Yes this is Switzerland. But having owned phone plans in many western and non western countries there definitly are big exceptions between countries.

tpolzer 8y ago
You're overpaying. Wingo will give you very good network coverage, a gigabyte of data per month and free calls for 25$ a month.
- herbst 8y ago
  Heh. They didn't exist last time I bought a sim. And when I checked them I closed it after reading 'no gateways' however it does seem like a perfect option otherwise.

cameldrv 8y ago

It varies on a state by state basis, but the government provides the Lifeline phone subsidy. In California for example, you can get Assurance Wireless/Virgin Mobile for free with unlimited minutes/texts and 2GB of data. They'll also give you a free Android phone.

ASalazarMX 8y ago

The game is rigged to encourage you to struggle and empathize. The initial setting is truly a hardship by itself: unemployed, homeless, single parent $7,500 in credit card debt, delayed car payments and only $1,000 left. I managed to reach a month, but in that month: a relative died, the landlord arbitrarily increased the rent $150 BEFORE the end of the month, a kid broke a window that cost $100 to replace, got an incontestable false speeding ticket for 250, the car broke and a dental problem needing $800 developed, got depression, etc. How much can this guy endure? Also, this guy should have had food stamps already. Maybe he didn't qualify before? I figure him at 45-50, trying to get a job like the one he just lost and letting things go too far before realizing he had to get a low-paying one. It makes you think, that's for sure.

chickenfries 8y ago

Haven’t played the game but many low income people finance their phones.