[flumpcakes]

Very few people have private health care in Europe, at least in the UK - they are either comparatively very rich or have a job that provides it (again, very rare and probably a job that pays very well to begin with).

You will see a lot of buying power from free health care providers as they represent tens-hundreds of millions of people - they will most likely pass on a price gouging drug in favour for others. They won't pay market rate, whatever the drug manufacturers say.

[mathieuh]

The most relevant industry to this board (IT) usually provide private healthcare though. I’ve had BUPA from work since I graduated. Granted this is across only two jobs but when I’ve been applying for jobs in the past private health has always been one of the perks

Maybe it’s different in the start up world but larger companies all seem to offer private health insurance.

[hkt]

My experience in IT in the UK is:

VC backed companies will sell you private health insurance as a perk. It is rarely useful. I suspect it is a way of funnelling money at low rates of tax to the VC's other holdings in at least one case, but have no proof. It certainly funds the privatisation agenda at low cost to the investor, though.

Seniority is signified through leadership or contracting. The latter you can get private insurance as a perk through your own company, but again, it is useless.

Most permanent non-lead roles I've had that have been more conventional haven't had it, though.

[RobertoG]

When comparing healthcare costs between USA and Europe, everybody speak about the public systems vs. USA, but I would like to see the cost per person of the private plans in Europe against the cost per person in the USA.

For what I read about USA, in HN and in other places, I suspect Americans would be surprised too. Those private plans have a very hard competitor in the public system, so, somehow, at least in my area, they manage to be pretty affordable.

[pintxo]

in Germany, private plans are often 1/2 of the public plan. But only at young age, prices will go up with age and switching back in the public system is legally blocked (for most cases).

Also private plans are mostly only available above a certain income level. So the demographics are skewed towards better educated, richer and thereby healthier people in the privat plans.

[flumpcakes]

The only place I've ever had private healthcare in the UK was from an American company (BlackRock).

[nix23]

>Very few people have private health care in Europe, at least in the UK

In Europe at least in Switzerland quite many have private health care (the price difference is quite small because the obligatory insurance is tremendously high already), and if you think 'we' are rich..you are wrong.

[flumpcakes]

> and if you think 'we' are rich..you are wrong.

Switzerland is one of the richest countries in Europe - it's GDP/capita is the 9th highest in the world.

This place (news.ycom) really has a skewed sense of reality. "Oh, you only got $100k offer straight out of University? That's a low number."

99% of the world lives far below anything you consider average.

For a website full of smart people, you all have trouble recognising your own extreme privledge.

[polotics]

Switzerland is a complete outlier in this respect, Zürich is much closer to Boston than to Paris.

[nix23]

No not really...that comparison is completely wrong.

[kgwgk]

The obligatory insurance is also private.

[nix23]

From private company yes, but with private we mean the 'luxury' addon...the obligatory is regulated by the state, but administered by private company's.

[kgwgk]

Who is “we”?

[nix23]

We the people.....of Switzerland

[kgwgk]

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say "private insurance" to refer to the "supplementary insurance" (Zusatzversicherung / assurance complémentaire / assicurazione complementare), so if it's used in that sense it's not universal.

Supplementary insurance is conceptually different, by definition, from comprehensive private health insurance which provides alternative coverage for what is already covered within the public healthcare system.