[_qbxi]

> In fact Japanese generally make less money. IT salaries are in the $50k range. Minimum wage is $7.5 Yet they still go out.

What's their healthcare like? If something bad happens, do they need to rely on savings to pull through, or does their society have stronger social safety nets that allow them to spend their money with less concern?

[PaulDavisThe1st]

You know people who regularly say on a weekend evening "Sorry, I can't come, I need to put the $34 I'd have spent into my HSA" ?

It's not really about safety nets since most people don't discount (or account) for them (they're in the future). It's about disposable income, and for huge numbers of Americans, that's in short supply due to the exorbitant cost of housing, college education and health insurance & care.

[_qbxi]

I know people who don't want to spend $30 on dinner because they already drained their accounts for minor medical problems, yes.

[PaulDavisThe1st]

That's precisely what I meant about disposable income.

Safety nets in my mind are what kick in after a person has no way to pay for necessary stuff by themselves.

Disposable income is what gets cut down by the costs of necessary stuff.

Very few people are going to not go to dinner because they are aware that if they become indigent US society will not pay, and thus feel an obligation to save.

Lots of people will not go to dinner because they've already had to pay for (... you name it ...)

[_qbxi]

The first thing I asked about was healthcare. Without the safety net of socialized healthcare, people routinely have to pay for it.

[PaulDavisThe1st]

The overwhelming majority of Americans have health insurance which (at least theoretically) covers most of their health care costs.

Way too many (many millions) have no insurance or inadequate insurance, but that's a problem we need to fix, not a description of the country as a whole.

The problem for most Americans is that what is not covered by insurance is still too expensive for them, but that's a subtly different problem than "no socialized healthcare => everyone has to pay out of pocket for any healthcare they receive"

[latentsea]

Healthcare is pretty good here. Insurance is mandatory and you only pay 30% of the cost.