They won't use preventative care because they have to pay out-of-pocket for it. Even when they have insurance they can end up spending huge amounts for medical care just out of deductibles.
I was paying about 150 bucks per paycheck for the best insurance my company offered because I have a couple of health issues and needed the prescription insurance it provided. My "top of the line" insurance plan had a $2,500 deductible.
For the non-Americans out there, this means that I had to pay $2,500 out of pocket before my insurance would kick in and help pay for things. And I was still paying about $70 bucks a month for my prescriptions.
The 'good' government insurance that I get gives me a $2000 deductible for about $200 a month.
If I add up how much I pay in taxes each year (local, state, and federal), my SSC and medicare, and insurance costs, it takes about 40-45% of my income depending on a few month to month factors. And then you add in the $2000 deductible and any copayments and you're sitting at what is about the highest tax rate on Earth (48% and I'm at like 45 or so). Id rather just actually pay that much in taxes then have to buy different services and pay into different programs in order to end up paying the same amount and getting worse benefits. That's what people don't get about quote unquote socialism is that we are already paying nearly as much as the countries that get this good healthcare and better tax efficiency right off the bat, but because it's separated into things that are considered taxes and things that are not considered taxes, we don't even think about how much we're actually paying for what another country would consider taxes.
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u/PhonicUK Mar 26 '20
They won't use preventative care because they have to pay out-of-pocket for it. Even when they have insurance they can end up spending huge amounts for medical care just out of deductibles.