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by ekianjo 2990 days ago
Why is that ok if a private actor can do it better and cheaper? Most cases for public services are not really based on any good justification. On the contrary accepting that they lose money from the get go will drive soviet style inflation of resources and bankruptcy in the long run. Its been tried.
3 comments
tonyarkles 2990 days ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_total_hea...

Canadian here :). By that list, our per-capita healthcare costs are about half of what our neighbours to the south pay. I don't have it handy, but I've worked out the currency conversions and things before with various tax estimators, and in my province (Saskatchewan), we pay approximately the same overall income tax (Provincial + Federal) as someone making an equivalent salary in California (State + Federal). But included in that is all of our health care and some pharmaceutical coverage.

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refurb 2990 days ago
Did you include the HST? And gasoline taxes? And the ability to deduct mortgage interest and up to $18K in your 401k?

My own person experience was that taxes were much lower in the US than Canada.

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tonyarkles 2989 days ago
No, no, and no, just straight up income tax before deductions. The mortgage interest deduction would be great, no doubt, for people with mortgages.

I also didn't include the monthly health insurance premiums, nor did I include the mandatory 3-week vacation pay, nor the 35-week maternity/paternity leave, etc etc. Nor tuition costs. I'd really love to see the numbers all across the board as a general "cost of living comparison" for sure.

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tonyarkles 2989 days ago
It's been too long to be able to edit.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141010125950-31061941-what-... We do have a 401k-like system that has some neat perks:

- your contribution limit carries over, so if you have a tight year, you can contribute a bunch over the following couple of years

- you can temporarily withdraw from it tax-free to buy a house (it has to be replaced within 10 years or you'll owe income tax on it)

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jmedwards 2990 days ago
That hasn't happened in the United Kingdom with the NHS
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nomorenomore 2990 days ago
Can you explain what exactly you mean by private and public? I'm honestly confused. The statements that you are making sound like they come out straight from an Ayn Rand high school essay....
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