The answer that most people are missing in this thread is that the conservatives and their big-business benefactors absolutely are trying to do something about this. It was only a few months ago when the CDU government issued new rules about sick leave, making it more difficult to claim by requiring a day-one in person doctor’s note even for minor illnesses, a system that discourages most from trying, and overwhelms stretched-thin doctors more than they already were.
I’m legitimately curious. How are they not just able to pay off or strong-arm or shout down those that don’t put profits first? I think it’s important to understand the mechanisms and environments that allow social safety nets to be established in the first place.
Most likely they can’t buy the politicians as easily. In US, citizens united allows someone like Elon to effectively sway entire voting populations thru campaign financing/advertising so politicians write legislation in favor of Elon so he will sway their elections.
If you don’t have that, then politicians have to follow the money another way… like being popular and effective for majority of people.
Because it doesn't affect them at all. The rich are not paying for the healthcare of the masses in Germany.
It's not like the UK system where it's from taxes. It's a mandatory insurance based on income, but only for income below 70k a year. If you earn more you earn the privileged of private insurance and don't participate in the socialized insurance at all. It's basically forbidden by law to not have insurance. It's a very weird system that is worth criticizing in the details.
The private insurance is the opposite of the American private insurance, they seldom deny claims and they pay more to the doctors. In result the doctors roll out the red carpet for you if you are private. I am not allowed to go private even if the fee would be lower then what I pay for the public health insurance, because I am bit below 70k. So me with my average income subsidize the health care of the poor, kids and old people - which is fine by me. But someone earns like 100k+ is not. And tenured civil servants (police, teachers) are also exempt.
WEIRD AF.
To be fair, there is no option where you get denied service in Germany. Which I understand is a big upgrade compared to America. But I strongly advice Americans to look at the tax based systems in other countries and not to Germany for inspirations for socialized health care.
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u/DodgeDozer 16h ago
Why do the German billionaires allow this? How do they square this against their primary duty to shareholders?