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This. The American urge to compare only base salaries (because that's all you have in America) is why Americans don't understand what they're missing. It's not

This. The American urge to compare only base salaries (because that's all you have in America) is why Americans don't understand what they're missing. It's not in the salary! Its in the alleviation of $1000/month medical insurance premiums, in addition to $4000 ER visits (inclusive of said insurance), and pensions. And before someone bemoans the taxes, let me clarify that those medical premiums and ER visits are AFTER-TAX dollars, so add an additional 15-30% on top.

aianus 7y ago
The annual base salaries Americans quote are AFTER medical insurance premiums. They are not deducted from your quoted base pay.
- astockwell 7y ago
  This is completely untrue. I'm an American citizen and not a single one of the 6+ W2 jobs I've held have quoted the base salary with insurance premiums deducted.
  - rayiner 7y ago
    The quoted base salary does not include the employer paid portion of health insurance. For the 57% of people who receive health insurance coverage through their employer, that amounts on average to 82% of total premiums.
- petronio 7y ago
  Minor addendum: Unless you decide on a plan whose cost is greater than the base plan provided by the employer, in which case the difference is deducted from your salary.
rayiner 7y ago
The NHS nurse is also paying health insurance and pension contributions! An online calculator shows they’d pay a national insurance contribution of 2,500 pounds and a pension contribution of 2,700 pounds. Also, nurses don’t pay $1,000 per month in insurance premiums in the US. 57% of Americans have employer provided insurance, and employers cover on average 82% of premiums. A single US nurse likely would pay less in out of pocket premiums than the UK nurse’s national insurance contribution would be. That’s why the US health situation persists. Most voters (who skew higher-income, older, and more established) don’t see the real cost of health insurance premiums because they’re an employer-provided benefit.

aianus 7y ago

The annual base salaries Americans quote are AFTER medical insurance premiums. They are not deducted from your quoted base pay.

astockwell 7y ago
This is completely untrue. I'm an American citizen and not a single one of the 6+ W2 jobs I've held have quoted the base salary with insurance premiums deducted.
- rayiner 7y ago
  The quoted base salary does not include the employer paid portion of health insurance. For the 57% of people who receive health insurance coverage through their employer, that amounts on average to 82% of total premiums.
petronio 7y ago
Minor addendum: Unless you decide on a plan whose cost is greater than the base plan provided by the employer, in which case the difference is deducted from your salary.

rayiner 7y ago

The NHS nurse is also paying health insurance and pension contributions! An online calculator shows they’d pay a national insurance contribution of 2,500 pounds and a pension contribution of 2,700 pounds. Also, nurses don’t pay $1,000 per month in insurance premiums in the US. 57% of Americans have employer provided insurance, and employers cover on average 82% of premiums. A single US nurse likely would pay less in out of pocket premiums than the UK nurse’s national insurance contribution would be. That’s why the US health situation persists. Most voters (who skew higher-income, older, and more established) don’t see the real cost of health insurance premiums because they’re an employer-provided benefit.