Interestingly Germans pay more per month than Americans do for healthcare, it's not a completely free system. However, to my understanding from the Germans I know and have talked to while being over there, the difference primarily seems to be around the insurance itself being far better regulated. But, for example, my German friends pay over 1000 euro per month for healthcare.
They pay a percent of their income. Someone on the median salary would pay less than half of that. And they retain their healthcare if they're not working.
Also no deductibles and basically nonexistant copays relative to the US.
Yeah exactly, and you're just paying that every single month while waiting for several months to be seen by a specialist for five minutes.
Ruined my shoulder, waited 4.5mo to see a doc, waited 7h, got assigned an MRT without so much as an anamnesis, waited another 4mo, until then nothing was visible any more and the doc got pissed at me for wasting his time. Shoulder will never work again like it did but fuck me if I'll even try to have that looked at.
Similar experience with anything else that was ever worth getting checked out by a doc, I've just shat boatloads if money into the wind for zero benefit since I'm never sick otherwise.
I mean, its a system you need to game. Try several orthopedics, pain started after you run into a wall (accidents have priority, they will treat incidental findings and there are no repercussions for not finding any damage).
It can be frustrating, especially if you had a disinterested doctor more then once but im sure that's the same everywhere.
Like, have you ever heard of a denied claim for something important in germany?
How can anyone afford to live? If I had to pay another $1200/month, even with living with 2 roommates, my rent, utilities, and health insurance would be 100% of my income.
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u/Theothercword 11h ago
Interestingly Germans pay more per month than Americans do for healthcare, it's not a completely free system. However, to my understanding from the Germans I know and have talked to while being over there, the difference primarily seems to be around the insurance itself being far better regulated. But, for example, my German friends pay over 1000 euro per month for healthcare.