In finland you are also required to pay for public health care. But employers are also required to provide private healthcare for workers. Vey nice to pay for both public and private healthcare on top of insane income taxes.

Estonia seems like a tax haven in comparison.

Can you elaborate? If you're talking about government health insurance fund (Haigekassa), AFAIK it covers everything fully, and limited dental and eye, doesn't it? Or am I missing something?

> you have no choice than to pay for the public system

You can very much opt out from the "public system" in Germany. I'm privately insured.

You can't in Austria - you can additionally get a private insurance, but it's by no means mandatory.

Although I pay most of my urgent stuff in cash, and get it back later (not everything), because otherwise I have to wait 3 months + for a simple scan :/

As much as I love it here, such mandatory things is something I HATE.

Like Public health insurance being mandated, or the GIS.

I love it, as long as it worked good, it was awesome. People that were poorer didn't have inferior public health insurance.

That is a system I want to live in. Since the locust capitalists took over (11th January 1987!) it is going downhill though.

Of course I can afford one of best health care, for me, but I want a social system, not an asocial one.

Oh yeah, definitely. The security net is great. And I get that for it to work, it needs to be paid for.

I think that the downwards movement is more based in the population aging though.

And the reason I hate it, is literally because there is no opt out at all. Hell, I'd use the public option if there were an opt out because it works well enough for me.

I would rather be able not to be part of a Kammer.

Leading my own company I hate having to pay the Wirtschaftskammer a mandatory fee.

I don't need those lobbyists!

>Wirtschaftskammer

Yeah, from what I've read, they are pretty awful in terms of costs/benefits.

Get ready to pay for the Church in Switzerland :D

Interesting, thank you for sharing. I didn't know. (I assumed it was like France, where it's also mandatory at 7.30%+1.30% (in some regions))

German healthcare system is really interesting, and I wonder if it should be a model for US more so than Canada. Not even because there are some inherent advantages, but because it would be an easier sell politically. Even the "public" part isn't really state-run, but rather a bunch of heavily regulated but still independent non-profits - some territorial, some industrial, some specific to (particularly large) employees.

The opt out is after a fairly high income. Most people will be in the public option (yes,yes, private insurance but required by law). Most people will average 300-500 euro per month plus the employer contribution.

I am curious about the 300-500. If this is per house hold or per employed adult.