> With these institutions in place life looks qualitatively different at any salary. As someone who's worked at high income levels in both the US and the UK: T

> With these institutions in place life looks qualitatively different at any salary. As someone who's worked at high income levels in both the US and the UK: The US is emphatically better at high income levels. The employer-paid benefits were miles ahead of my socialised care (or even private insurance) in the UK. Yes, they're employer-tied, and that's a real risk worth considering, but from a purely personal standpoint that's a risk I'm willing to take. (Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer that this wasn't the case, and that life was qualitatively better for lower earners even if it was marginally worse for high earners in the US.)