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Or living in a country with good public health care?



In the end it's the same or worse. You'll be drowned in taxes in the typical European country with good free healthcare.


I haven't found that, and I moved from California to Denmark, the highest-tax country in the world (most of Europe has somewhat lower taxes). My tax rate is about 15% higher than it was in CA (counting all levels of government). But, I get complete health insurance for that amount of money, no co-pays or deductibles or maximums or employee share of the premium or anything, and I get it guaranteed for life at the same price, with no way to ever be dropped, have claims denied due to pre-existing conditions, have my premiums jacked up due to getting sick, etc. (well, unless I move to another country again). Just complete, bulletproof coverage, with much less bureaucracy too (no forms to file). And I don't have to change doctors or coverage if I change jobs.

If I could pay for that kind of guaranteed-for-life coverage in the U.S., with $0 deductibles, $0 co-pays, no maximums, no reimbursement paperwork, no excluded conditions, etc., for only 15% of my income, I'd gladly do so. In California, I spent around 7-8% just on my comparatively shitty health insurance + out-of-pocket, which had several exclusions and no guarantee I'd be able to renew at a similar rate if I got sick. So I consider the Danish offer a real deal. Even more so if your medical history has any major blemish on it, in which case U.S. premiums skyrocket to much higher than 15% of a typical salary.


People really need to think about this. How much would we save at the individual level with a real deal like this, and at the societal level when taxpayers no longer have to pay increased costs for all the people who waited until death's door because they couldn't see a doctor at a sensible time?


Maybe they will die quickly and cheaply when their problems are discovered too late. Beware the law of unintended consequences.


When you make a conscious decision to reduce your spending, you are also reducing your income, thus reducing your tax. When you are a low income earner, the tax rates are tiny.




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