[odino]

> If you're making ~$60,000 or more in the US, you are overwhelmingly going to have good health insurance. If you're making $140,000, you're going to have great health insurance. I fail to see how universal healthcare is a lure in this case.

If you get insured.

I think most Europeans are proud to pay taxes to make sure a random fellow living down the street who got cancer can afford his treatments. At least that has been my mentality around taxes for as long as I've lived there.

Sure, taxes don't all go towards nice things :) but at the end of the day I'm proud to be helpful to those who are in need.

Never understood the healthcare system in the US, it just sounds "wrong" to me.

[refurb]

The US has a socialized system of healthcare. It's indirect in the sense that if you can't pay you get covered anyways and the hospital takes a loss.

If you're low income you get Medicaid, if you're old you get Medicare.

People with cancer who get no treatment at all in the US is very rare and usually something else is happening behind the scenes.

[araes]

This has Many notable exceptions.

Due to the housing meltdown, many people have underwater realty of negative value, yet this asset disqualifies many low cost programs.

The asset limits are very low on Medicaid ($2k individual, $3k couple)

Even medicare is quite low ($7.5k, $11.5k). To qualify, you must effectively divest all your assets and it becomes an insurance bet with the state that you'll die quickly. (@ $7k/month for a nursing home, its not a very good bet)

If you can't pay hospitals and nursing homes kick you out, just happened to a friend. Medicare wouldn't pay for more than two months of care -> on the street.

For most people, the value of selling their house (say $100k, would pay for only 1 year of senior care in the US)

Even better, the care is often lackluster for the cost. (Admittedly at $7k/month I would be expecting marble floors and gold faucets)

[refurb]

Medicare has no income limits. It's available to all over 65, as lots ng as you've paid in.

[araes]

You are correct. I was mistakenly quoting the Medicare Savings Program. Cannot edit so posting this to reflect.