I think a lot of Europeans vastly underestimate the social programs available in the United States. In fact most Americans don't apply for them and pretend they

I think a lot of Europeans vastly underestimate the social programs available in the United States. In fact most Americans don't apply for them and pretend they don't exist. Case in point, earlier this year's my company laid off thirty percent of us. Now to Europeans, they are worried about what we're going to do for healthcare, etc. Some of my colleagues paid out of pocket, thousands of dollars. This would seem crazy to Europeans.. It's also crazy to Americans. Because for me, at my mom's behest, I did not pay. Instead I applied for government aid. Now, despite making over 300k usd a year, I got free Medicaid for my family. Free.. no cost. Way better than Canadian or European health care because it's basically a private ppo plan the state pays for. If you can afford it, the American health care system is the best. And while I was unemployed it was free (just like it was while working, when I factor in company contributions, etc). I also got substantial unemployment. Now we're going to have a baby and... There's paid leave. In America, there's whole swaths of people who don't believe these programs exist and don't bother applying. It's really weird. I told my colleagues about Medicaid and they thought it wouldn't apply to them (it does) of wouldn't cover something (it covers everything. No cost).