The private doctor is still cheaper than copays/deductibles in the US. So that seems like a weird argument to make.
Skilled workers in the US also earn way more than their European counterparts.
Furthermore, the US labor force participation rate never gets measured honestly or discussed because it's crazy.. there are untold millions and millions of men and women who have given up looking work. (Idle, disenfranchised people who don't have a future or families is a recipe for revolution, drug abuse and mass shootings.) Also, with automation, outsourcing and increased net population, there aren't as many good jobs as there were 40 years ago and there too many people for regular, less-skilled jobs.
Only if you look at salary. If you look at total compensation, it’s grown quite a lot in the US, across income levels, adjusting for inflation.
And bonus if they get sick, they don't have to worry as much about losing their job and spiraling down into crippling debt.
Especially because the private doctors need to provide pricing before you go there, there is an actual market with reasonable prices.
Since someone will know before they go to a doctor what it will cost them it makes a huge difference to the US.
Is this actually true?
Not sure if I'd agree. There are certainly fancy hospitals that look like 5* hotels but they're for routine surgery only. Top specialists are still at big hospitals because that's where the most complicated cases are treated and where the infrastructure is. You might be able to skip waiting time with private insurance but you won't see a better doctor or get better quality medical treatment. In the end, having a nicer meal and single room in your hospital don't matter that much medically.
can you give example of private healthcare costs?
As regards blood tests and the like, the cost depends on the type of test, but could be anywhere from £25-£300.
I do agree with the GP about a 2-tier system evolving in the EU, at least from my perspective in the UK and what I hear from colleagues around the EU; if you have something easily diagnosed and treated, the state health service is literally a life saver, even if you have to wait several months to be seen. But don't expect your doctors to be experts - your endocrinologist will likely no nothing other than diabetes etc.
You can usually get 80% back from public healthcare insurance. You can do it all via public healthcare, but wait time is usually several weeks.
The current situation benefits the lower class with voting rights who have access to good healthcare without paying much taxes and the upper class can afford private anyway but if you're hard working middle class you're kinda screwed since you have to go private and pay if you want quality treatment and diagnosis in a timely manner but you're also forced to pay and subsidize the public system, which you don't use anyway, with your very high taxes.
I feel Europe is slowly migrating to a two tier healthcare system, a private and quality but expensive one for the ones who can afford it and a public underfunded one for everyone else.