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In Lithuania, a mandatory health insurance tax of 6.98% is deducted from your monthly salary. For example, if you earn €5,000 per month (chosen as it is close t

by vv_ 2y ago

In Lithuania, a mandatory health insurance tax of 6.98% is deducted from your monthly salary. For example, if you earn €5,000 per month (chosen as it is close to the average salary in the United States), this amounts to €349 per month or €4,188 per year. Despite this tax, you often have to pay for many services unless you can afford to wait months in line. Consequently, many companies provide their employees with additional health insurance, typically costing between €100 and €300 extra per month, allowing people to access private clinics for treatment without the long waiting times. Therefore, the total cost of insurance ranges from €449 to €649 per month. In comparison, the average cost of health insurance in the United States is $447 to $703 per month. Although the sums are quite similar, the standard of care in the United States is often considered higher, with significant payouts if doctors make a mistake, which contributes to the increased costs, unlike in Lithuania where you'll get a pittance. Just because these fees are not immediately visible doesn't mean they don't exist. Get off your high horse. There are very few countries in the European Union where healthcare is any good and the core reason behind it is that they're filthy rich (at least for now).

vv_ 2y ago
Furthermore, unlike in the United States, we pay a significant amount of taxes. Let's say you earn €5000 per month. From your monthly salary, you'll have deductions of 20% for income tax, 6.98% for mandatory health insurance, and 12.52% for government social insurance, totaling 39.5% in deductions, which leaves you with €3025. Additionally, for almost everything you buy, you'll pay a 21% VAT (Value Added Tax), reducing your effective spending power to €2390 (48% of what you earn!). There are also property taxes, but at the moment, they are relatively small, though there are plans to increase them significantly. Despite the average Lithuanian earning much less than the average American, we also pay more for energy. For example, petrol costs $5.83 per gallon and electricity is $0.30 per kWh, which is almost double!
account42 2y ago
> Just because these fees are not immediately visible doesn't mean they don't exist. Get off your high horse. You're the one pretending to be above the poster you are responding to while arguing a strawman. No one is claiming that healthcare costs are not being paid for. There are three major factors you conveniently ignore: - You only look at average earners. It's not surprising that the average earner ends up paying about the same. What socialized healthcare is to make staying alive affordable for those less well off. Averages across the population don't tell you the whole story. - Insurance that covers all associated costs like ambulances minimizes the unexpected costs that can very well trhow people's lives into shambles. Yes you still end up paying for those on average but average lifetime healthcare contributions don't tell you the whole story. - Being charged for ambulance trips forces people to decide between an unexpected cost and a potentially required life saving service. At first this may sound like a good way to reduce unneccessary ambulance use but most people are horrible at triaging the severity of their own health issues. So please, get off your high earner horse.

by vv_ 2y ago

vv_ 2y ago

Furthermore, unlike in the United States, we pay a significant amount of taxes. Let's say you earn €5000 per month. From your monthly salary, you'll have deductions of 20% for income tax, 6.98% for mandatory health insurance, and 12.52% for government social insurance, totaling 39.5% in deductions, which leaves you with €3025. Additionally, for almost everything you buy, you'll pay a 21% VAT (Value Added Tax), reducing your effective spending power to €2390 (48% of what you earn!). There are also property taxes, but at the moment, they are relatively small, though there are plans to increase them significantly. Despite the average Lithuanian earning much less than the average American, we also pay more for energy. For example, petrol costs $5.83 per gallon and electricity is $0.30 per kWh, which is almost double!

account42 2y ago

> Just because these fees are not immediately visible doesn't mean they don't exist. Get off your high horse. You're the one pretending to be above the poster you are responding to while arguing a strawman. No one is claiming that healthcare costs are not being paid for. There are three major factors you conveniently ignore: - You only look at average earners. It's not surprising that the average earner ends up paying about the same. What socialized healthcare is to make staying alive affordable for those less well off. Averages across the population don't tell you the whole story. - Insurance that covers all associated costs like ambulances minimizes the unexpected costs that can very well trhow people's lives into shambles. Yes you still end up paying for those on average but average lifetime healthcare contributions don't tell you the whole story. - Being charged for ambulance trips forces people to decide between an unexpected cost and a potentially required life saving service. At first this may sound like a good way to reduce unneccessary ambulance use but most people are horrible at triaging the severity of their own health issues. So please, get off your high earner horse.