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Switzerland has the system closest to the US in my experience, but with universal coverage. As individual, you buy basic insurance costing roughly $500/month w
by Jimega36 1mo ago
Switzerland has the system closest to the US in my experience, but with universal coverage.
As individual, you buy basic insurance costing roughly $500/month with a $2500 yearly deductible (LAMal/KVG). Applicants must be accepted even with pre-existing conditions. Post-deductible, you pay 10% co-insurance capped at roughly $800/year (no medical bankruptcy). Insurers operate basic plans as non-profit. They make their profit on optional supplemental insurance (private hospital rooms, extra benefits...) The state subsidizes basic premiums for low-income individuals. A doctor's visit is a $150 minimum, similar to the US.
What was most surprising compared to here in the US is employers pay $0 toward premiums. Funding is entirely decoupled from employment. You don't lose coverage or change plans when changing jobs.
On the negative, basic insurance does not have dental, so dental stuff is out-of-pocket and expensive.
In terms of stats, the US spends 18% of GDP on healthcare vs. 12% for Switzerland and the gain is lower stress too. Not perfect but maybe the best of both worlds.
- limagnolia 1mo agoWhere are you getting the 150 to visit a Dr. in the US? The copay is usually much, much lower than that.
- forestrywat 1mo agoDepends on where you work. And what "see a doctor" means.
- cocoa19 1mo agoI thought you were going to say out of pocket costs are much much higher than that. I’ll be lucky if I get a specialist for under 500 until I meet deductible of 3k+ for a family of 3. One emergency room visit and we reach it in one or two days.
- tmp10423288442 1mo agoReally depends on your insurance, and whether you're visiting for a yearly physical or for an actual concern.
- HeavenFox 1mo agoSo basically as long as someone is alive in Switzerland they need to pay an insurance company $500/mo?
- deleted 1mo ago[deleted]
- Pooge 1mo agoYup. Premiums change depending on the deductible you choose[1] and your age. [1]: If you have the CHF2500/year deductible, premiums are cheaper but you have to pay that amount out of picket before the insurance company reimburses your expenses
- reverius42 1mo agoObama tried this and America lost its mind.
- qup 1mo agoYou have to pretend it's free, in America. People don't want to support themselves.
- close04 1mo agoIsn't this how socialized healthcare works in every country? Whether they realize it or not the principle is generally the same, an amount (usually bundled under "social contributions") goes from people's gross salary to pay for the health insurance.
- NotGMan 1mo agoIn other EU countries it's the same or even worse: you just pay it as a part of gross and gross-gross taxes.
- viccis 1mo ago>A doctor's visit is a $150 minimum, similar to the US. It's $20 to go to the doctor on similar priced insurance in the US. Your $500/month is just a tax for healthcare. Your only advantage over the US is that it's not tied to employment. Ours is both a tax and a cudgel to force people to work. We have the worst of all worlds because ours is a tax and a cudgel, but then we also have to pay tax to the state to fund the healthcare for others who can't or won't work. I wouldn't call yours the best of both worlds. It sounds like you're getting fleeced to a lesser extent, but still not great.
- acjohnson55 1mo agoFor families, do children also cost $500/mo?
- limagnolia 1mo agoBased on what I found, you pay a lower rate for children, but you pay for each child, they don't do a fixed rate for the whole family.
- alberto-m 1mo agoMuch less, the average monthly cost is about 123 CHF (less than 150$). Source: https://www.bag.admin.ch/de/newnsb/d2okh_kUK_OFhmMDfpyiy https://www.bag.admin.ch/de/newnsb/d2okh_kUK_OFhmMDfpyiy Same in Germany: private kids' insurance costs a fraction of the one for adults. Apparently it's very unlikely that they require expensive healthcare.
- dm3 1mo agoMonthly payment depends on Kanton as well - in the German part you can still get basic insurance for 250 USD/month.
- arh5451 1mo agoI think they do asses for pre-conditions, if say you enter the country via immigration.
- 2Gkashmiri 1mo agoThats too much trouble. In India, there is a new scheme of "ayushman bharat" 500K inr which is quite a lot of money, per family. No co-pay, you show the card in supported hospitals or government hospitals and you are in. There are "problems" but overall it has had a net benefit with poor people who could not afford medical treatment just get it. If you are having an emergency, they just do whatever is needed and you are golden. I know hundreds of people in my neighbourhood who have had surgeries done on "card" and most could not otherwise afford it.
- tmp10423288442 1mo agoWhat I've read about government hospitals in India is that they're extremely overcrowded, with people crowding the hallways and waiting rooms to be seen while bleeding out or dying from illness, without even air conditioning in a lot of places. On the other hand, this was reported by a young Indian doctor that wanted to get to the UK ASAP, so not sure how representative his accounts are.