Do most European countries insure everyone for about two thousand dollars per person a year?

[NNN0LHI]

Is this statement below true? If anyone knows?

Don

http://www.bismarcktribune.com/articles/2007/10/19/news/opinion/letters/141177.txt

Mike wrote on Oct 19, 2007 9:55 AM:

" Do a little homework and you will find that the United States is ranked 13th in health care among the industrialized nations. We pay about three times as much, yet still have forty million uninsured. Most European countries insure everyone for about two thousand dollars per year. I pay eight thousand, plus deductibles, and I have to pay indirectly for the people who are not insured. The statistics tell the whole story. Let the propaganda war begin. "

[papau]

1. No it is not true if you are looking at the EU before expansion - its about 30-40% less than US n/t

n/t

[Eurobabe]

2. EU residents pay more taxes overall, but insurance is not

tied to your employer, although the employer pays for part of your insurance premium. You are free to chose whomever you want to join as a group, for insurance coverage. I believe the employee pays for a small portion of the insurance coverage, the other part is born by the govt. Those who are not-insured in a group (with employer) I think the govt. picks up the entire tab.

[Turbineguy]

3. One thing

Our health system is based on the concept of extracting profits from suffering. Profits can also be squeezed form selling products to allay fear of illness. The beauty of having so many uninsured is that their relatively higher costs are forced upon the rest of society, guaranteeing profits. Sure the uninsured suffer more as a result, but it's the profits that count.

That said, profits and good pay for Health Providers are not the same thing.

If good health is simply considered to be a social good, it follows that profits would suffer because costs would drop. The dilemma is how to make health care in the US work without cutting into profits.

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. 4 to 5 thousand dollars would be about right, in total health spending

UK nears European average in proportion of GDP spent on health care

Between 2000 and 2004 the increase in spending on health in the United Kingdom as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) was bigger than the increases in France, Germany, and Italy, says a new report from the Office of Health Economics (OHE).

This means that the gap between the UK and other European countries such as Germany and France in total spending on health as a percentage of GDP has narrowed.

Total spending on health care in the UK rose to an estimated £120bn in 2006, representing 9.4% of GDP, up from 7.1% in 2001. Referring to Tony Blair's promise in 2000 to bring NHS funding up to European levels, Jon Sussex, the office's deputy director, said, "The spending side of the promise seems to have been kept."

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/334/7591/442

£120bn in the UK is £2,000 per person, or about $4,000 - and the UK still spends slightly less than most other western European countries. That is the total spending, including any personal spending on drugs, whether prescription or not, and, I think, dental too (but probably not optical, since it's hard to separate out the 'fashion' element of that).

[coyote]

5. I have health insurance in Germany

The system I believe is somewhat unique here because there is both public and private health insurance. If you make over ~47,000 € / year then you can opt to take private insurance. If you are less than that, then you must take the public goverment insurance. Approximately 90% of Germans have public, and 10% have private. Public tends to be more expensive....but there are some benefits over the private. For example, if only 1 family member is working, that working family member´s policy covers the whole family. Private insurance on the other hand you must have a policy for every person in your family regardless if they are working or not.

Private insurance companies here also cherry pick there customers....if no private insurace will take you, then the public insurance must insure you. However, I believe this will change in 2008 with a new law requires that private insurace can no longer refuse anybody and must offer a basic health care plan to you.

To give you an idea of cost, I have private insurace and I currently pay 275 € a month (mid-thirties male) with a 150€ a year deductible (that also includes 1000€ of dental work per year). I could get it cheaper, but I prefer to have a low deductible. I am also self-employed...so I have to pay the whole amount. If I was employed, companes here are required to pay 50% of your health insurace cost.

Goverment insurance is charged as a % of your income. The percentage is ~ 12 to 14% of your income up to 47000 €. I also find German health care very good.

The German health care system is having financial problems and I believe within the next 5 to 10 years...both private and public health care will be merged into 1 system.