Really it is at no additional charge. It’s been paid for by a tax charge which would be different for any individual. Don’t get me wrong, I’m American by way of Canada, so being practical, I look at total out of pocket costs, whether to a public or private entity. But there are many other Americans who would rather pay more total to a private entity than to a public entity on the basis of principle alone.
Damn. Over here, medical + Social Security tax is 8.1% of gross income. Which means that if I'm making less than 100,000 USD, I'm paying less than you have to pay. Our copay is capped to around 300 USD/year.
Depends on what you mean with "different for any individual". For me, flat 8.1% of gross income is equal pay. Everybody pays the same, adjusted for ability. Except that the low-income bracket usually has less disposable income, so in reality someone who makes 100,000 USD/year pays less than what the average grocery store worker does.
The rate might be the same but the dollar amount would be different. So not the same. And again, I’m not saying that this is a bad thing. But in ‘Merica, the concept of “from each according to his ability, to each according to his need” has a pretty historical and cultural rap that isn’t necessarily the case in other Western nations.
Well, yes... That's of course correct. And rather obvious.
