Yeah, but in Germany most things are actually covered by the insurance, whereas in the US even people with really good insurance can face huge bills for things like being in the wrong hospital or being treated by the wrong doctor, which sounds utterly bizarre from a European perspective.
> Likewise with college. Germany would pay a lot more to offer free education if it didn’t aggressively control the pipeline of students into colleges. That idea would be alien to the left in the US, where the belief is that everyone should go to college.
To phrase that another way, in the US you believe that anyone with the money should be able to go to university.
Also, a key difference: taxation for public services is pretty universally supported in Europe. Even by the right wing.
Maybe. Slightly. Not really a challenge in the computer age.
Also the last paragraph of my comment above still applies.
I don’t think that’s actually true. Western Europe is often more social democratic in principles, but often quite conservative in implementation. For example, Europe relies heavily in VAT, which has theoretical benefits but is regressive. Healthcare in Germany is paid for by an insurance contribution that is much higher for the individual, but phases out on income above about $60,000 per year. Meanwhile, in the US you pay Medicare contributions on all income, and the left is pushing to make Social Security contributions the same way.
Likewise with college. Germany would pay a lot more to offer free education if it didn’t aggressively control the pipeline of students into colleges. That idea would be alien to the left in the US, where the belief is that everyone should go to college.