7 ms·

You've got to be more specific when you say "there" or at least mention what you found wrong. The US is a large country with vast differences between the cities

You've got to be more specific when you say "there" or at least mention what you found wrong. The US is a large country with vast differences between the cities. Your experience in one area could be dramatically different from another area in the US.

michaelochurch 13y ago
He might have experienced our healthcare. Even if he had insurance, our system is a clusterfuck that makes everyone worse upon contact. Or, he might be older than 30 and therefore not willing to deal with the puny two-week vacation allotment that is still socially acceptable from US employers. Or, he might have children who will have to be educated someday, and see that a system that combines astronomical tuition plus fickle nonacademic factors in admissions ("extracurricular" criteria designed to give the privileged a huge advantage) is not good for their future. Or, he might have lived in the Red States and be gay. Or, pardon the "he", she might be a woman. Or transgender.
- ryanSrich 13y ago
  > He might have experienced our healthcare. Even if he had insurance, our system is a clusterfuck that makes everyone worse upon contact. I'm not disagreeing with you I just need help understanding. I get a job. My job offers health insurance coverage, which most do now. I pay a small fee (<$200) per month to get the coverage. If I get hurt I go to a doctor and the insurance covers the costs in full, so long as they accept that insurance. How is this not ideal? What would be better for the tax payer? > Or, he might be older than 30 and therefore not willing to deal with the puny two-week vacation allotment that is still socially acceptable from US employers. Outside of tech. I've found within the industry most employers have a flexible vacation policy. > Or, he might have children who will have to be educated someday, and see that a system that combines astronomical tuition plus fickle nonacademic factors in admissions ("extracurricular" criteria designed to give the privileged a huge advantage) is not good for their future. Can't argue with this one. I wholeheartedly agree. > Or, he might have lived in the Red States and be gay. Or, pardon the "he", she might be a woman. Or transgender. Eh. I'd say this is more based on location within a state. Go to Austin Texas and you'll have a better time than many other states that are "blue".
  - vacri 13y ago
    How is this not ideal? For people who don't think $200 every month is "a small fee". Folks on minimum wage might not agree with you on 'small', particularly if they're part-time. For people who don't have a job. For when your healthcare provider hasn't done a deal with your insurance. For having to do the paperwork in the first place. David Sedaris talks about getting medical care while living in France. He tried to pay for it, and got "Oh, fix us up next time". On insisting, he got "oh, I suppose you could pay, if you really want to". What would be better for the tax payer? It's been pretty conclusively demonstrated that the US system is ridiculously expensive for the taxpayer with poor outcomes for society as a whole, compared to other systems. Edit: I've never figured out how to do dot points on HN...
  - michaelochurch 13y ago
    I'm not disagreeing with you I just need help understanding. I get a job. My job offers health insurance coverage, which most do now. I pay a small fee (<$200) per month to get the coverage. If I get hurt I go to a doctor and the insurance covers the costs in full, so long as they accept that insurance. How is this not ideal? What would be better for the tax payer? Red pill alert. Your doctor accepting insurance is not guaranteed, or even likely, these days. As insurance companies become more aggressive against doctors, an increasing number are either deciding not to put up with that bullshit at all (in New York, half the doctors don't take insurance at all because there are enough richies) or to only accept a couple of plans (which you won't get, unless your company is union and the union does a hell of a job). Companies often buy cheapskate insurance where the network is thin, and you may need a specialist but be unable to get one (in network) for several months, or have to drive 100 miles. In an emergency, you pay a lot out of pocket. Possibly $20,000+. That's with insurance. Most plans also have high deductibles ($2000+) these days, which means that the first $2000 of expenses you will pay. There's typically an exemption for an annual physical and for routine stuff, but getting seriously sick is beyond what most Americans can afford. Oh, and if you have to buy individual insurance (your employer isn't big enough to get a group plan) then you will be paying a hell of a lot more than $200 per month for it. If you've ever had a serious illness, make it $2,500 per month. Cancer survivors are uninsurable if seeking individual plans (chemotherapy is carcinogenic, believe it or not). Diabetics are fucked. Finally, if you deal with anxiety or depression or panic attacks (hey, it happens) you will get a lot of pushback from health insurance, even on unrelated claims, because statistically people with MH issues (especially depression) are more likely to just give up and eat losses, or fuck up on paperwork and eat losses, on claims that the insurer should technically pay. American health insurance is, with no exaggeration, a 9/11 every 24 days. 45,000 per year. Many of those have insurance.
- Cub3 13y ago
  Australian here working for a major tech company with 5 weeks paid vacation, didn't even know 2 was standard in the US :/
  - Goladus 13y ago
    I've worked in the US since 2001 and have never had less than 15 days paid vacation.
- mikeash 13y ago
  Are you seriously saying that life in the US is terrible if you're a woman? Do I understand that correctly? Has HN really reached that level of boneheadedness?
  - jodrellblank 13y ago
    No, he's apologising for using 'he' all over his comment.
    - mikeash 13y ago
      No, that last paragraph is clearly a list of circumstances which would cause life in the US to be bad. Depending on how you apply "red states", he may only mean that being a woman in a "red state" is bad. Either way, it's idiotic.
robzyb 13y ago
I understand that a significant majority of the United States' healthcare system is lacklustre. I understand that a significant majority of the United States' only offer limited annual leave (compared to Australia's 4 weeks). I understand that a significant majority of the United States' suffers from an extremely high murder rate for a 1st world country. This is a sample of why I don't want to live in the US, even though they have fast internet.
- clarkmoody 13y ago
  Citation needed Seriously.
  - catmanjan 13y ago
    http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/crime/Homicide_statistics2012.xls http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/... For murder rates, North America beaten by Africa only I believe.
- mikeash 13y ago
  The health care system is fine if you can afford it. The main problem with American health care is financial, and if you have good insurance (which should come with any good job) it's fine. Not great, but on par with the rest of the first world. Limited annual leave depends on the job. If you're in software engineering or similar, you're unlikely to have a problem. If you get offered a job that doesn't offer the annual leave you want, either negotiate for more, or just don't take that job. I doubt your statement that a majority of the US has an extremely high murder rate. Some parts of the country certainly do, but much of the country is perfectly safe. The overall average rate is higher than other first-world countries, but that does not imply that most of the country has a higher rate. Crime is not spread out evenly. You may want to look into why you understand things that aren't really correct, and figure out how that happened.
  - Goladus 13y ago
    Murder rate thing is probably because an Australian national named Christopher Lane, in the US playing Baseball at college, was randomly murdered in Oklahoma this year. He was out jogging when a couple of teenagers ran up and shot him in the back for no obvious reason. Australian politicians immediately started telling people not to visit the US because it's so full of guns.

michaelochurch 13y ago

He might have experienced our healthcare. Even if he had insurance, our system is a clusterfuck that makes everyone worse upon contact. Or, he might be older than 30 and therefore not willing to deal with the puny two-week vacation allotment that is still socially acceptable from US employers. Or, he might have children who will have to be educated someday, and see that a system that combines astronomical tuition plus fickle nonacademic factors in admissions ("extracurricular" criteria designed to give the privileged a huge advantage) is not good for their future. Or, he might have lived in the Red States and be gay. Or, pardon the "he", she might be a woman. Or transgender.

ryanSrich 13y ago
> He might have experienced our healthcare. Even if he had insurance, our system is a clusterfuck that makes everyone worse upon contact. I'm not disagreeing with you I just need help understanding. I get a job. My job offers health insurance coverage, which most do now. I pay a small fee (<$200) per month to get the coverage. If I get hurt I go to a doctor and the insurance covers the costs in full, so long as they accept that insurance. How is this not ideal? What would be better for the tax payer? > Or, he might be older than 30 and therefore not willing to deal with the puny two-week vacation allotment that is still socially acceptable from US employers. Outside of tech. I've found within the industry most employers have a flexible vacation policy. > Or, he might have children who will have to be educated someday, and see that a system that combines astronomical tuition plus fickle nonacademic factors in admissions ("extracurricular" criteria designed to give the privileged a huge advantage) is not good for their future. Can't argue with this one. I wholeheartedly agree. > Or, he might have lived in the Red States and be gay. Or, pardon the "he", she might be a woman. Or transgender. Eh. I'd say this is more based on location within a state. Go to Austin Texas and you'll have a better time than many other states that are "blue".
- vacri 13y ago
  How is this not ideal? For people who don't think $200 every month is "a small fee". Folks on minimum wage might not agree with you on 'small', particularly if they're part-time. For people who don't have a job. For when your healthcare provider hasn't done a deal with your insurance. For having to do the paperwork in the first place. David Sedaris talks about getting medical care while living in France. He tried to pay for it, and got "Oh, fix us up next time". On insisting, he got "oh, I suppose you could pay, if you really want to". What would be better for the tax payer? It's been pretty conclusively demonstrated that the US system is ridiculously expensive for the taxpayer with poor outcomes for society as a whole, compared to other systems. Edit: I've never figured out how to do dot points on HN...
- michaelochurch 13y ago
  I'm not disagreeing with you I just need help understanding. I get a job. My job offers health insurance coverage, which most do now. I pay a small fee (<$200) per month to get the coverage. If I get hurt I go to a doctor and the insurance covers the costs in full, so long as they accept that insurance. How is this not ideal? What would be better for the tax payer? Red pill alert. Your doctor accepting insurance is not guaranteed, or even likely, these days. As insurance companies become more aggressive against doctors, an increasing number are either deciding not to put up with that bullshit at all (in New York, half the doctors don't take insurance at all because there are enough richies) or to only accept a couple of plans (which you won't get, unless your company is union and the union does a hell of a job). Companies often buy cheapskate insurance where the network is thin, and you may need a specialist but be unable to get one (in network) for several months, or have to drive 100 miles. In an emergency, you pay a lot out of pocket. Possibly $20,000+. That's with insurance. Most plans also have high deductibles ($2000+) these days, which means that the first $2000 of expenses you will pay. There's typically an exemption for an annual physical and for routine stuff, but getting seriously sick is beyond what most Americans can afford. Oh, and if you have to buy individual insurance (your employer isn't big enough to get a group plan) then you will be paying a hell of a lot more than $200 per month for it. If you've ever had a serious illness, make it $2,500 per month. Cancer survivors are uninsurable if seeking individual plans (chemotherapy is carcinogenic, believe it or not). Diabetics are fucked. Finally, if you deal with anxiety or depression or panic attacks (hey, it happens) you will get a lot of pushback from health insurance, even on unrelated claims, because statistically people with MH issues (especially depression) are more likely to just give up and eat losses, or fuck up on paperwork and eat losses, on claims that the insurer should technically pay. American health insurance is, with no exaggeration, a 9/11 every 24 days. 45,000 per year. Many of those have insurance.
Cub3 13y ago
Australian here working for a major tech company with 5 weeks paid vacation, didn't even know 2 was standard in the US :/
- Goladus 13y ago
  I've worked in the US since 2001 and have never had less than 15 days paid vacation.
mikeash 13y ago
Are you seriously saying that life in the US is terrible if you're a woman? Do I understand that correctly? Has HN really reached that level of boneheadedness?
- jodrellblank 13y ago
  No, he's apologising for using 'he' all over his comment.
  - mikeash 13y ago
    No, that last paragraph is clearly a list of circumstances which would cause life in the US to be bad. Depending on how you apply "red states", he may only mean that being a woman in a "red state" is bad. Either way, it's idiotic.

robzyb 13y ago

I understand that a significant majority of the United States' healthcare system is lacklustre. I understand that a significant majority of the United States' only offer limited annual leave (compared to Australia's 4 weeks). I understand that a significant majority of the United States' suffers from an extremely high murder rate for a 1st world country. This is a sample of why I don't want to live in the US, even though they have fast internet.

clarkmoody 13y ago
Citation needed Seriously.
- catmanjan 13y ago
  http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/crime/Homicide_statistics2012.xls http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/... For murder rates, North America beaten by Africa only I believe.
mikeash 13y ago
The health care system is fine if you can afford it. The main problem with American health care is financial, and if you have good insurance (which should come with any good job) it's fine. Not great, but on par with the rest of the first world. Limited annual leave depends on the job. If you're in software engineering or similar, you're unlikely to have a problem. If you get offered a job that doesn't offer the annual leave you want, either negotiate for more, or just don't take that job. I doubt your statement that a majority of the US has an extremely high murder rate. Some parts of the country certainly do, but much of the country is perfectly safe. The overall average rate is higher than other first-world countries, but that does not imply that most of the country has a higher rate. Crime is not spread out evenly. You may want to look into why you understand things that aren't really correct, and figure out how that happened.
- Goladus 13y ago
  Murder rate thing is probably because an Australian national named Christopher Lane, in the US playing Baseball at college, was randomly murdered in Oklahoma this year. He was out jogging when a couple of teenagers ran up and shot him in the back for no obvious reason. Australian politicians immediately started telling people not to visit the US because it's so full of guns.