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Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by ChuckNorris89 on Saturday February 15, 2020 @05:28PM (#22338469)
>The private doctor is still cheaper than copays/deductibles in the US.

Skilled workers in the US also earn way more than their European counterparts.

Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by anonsivalley652 on Saturday February 15, 2020 @06:31PM (#22338787)
Emphasis on skilled. Most Americans make less, adjusted for inflation, than they did 40 years ago, they work longer hours, report more stress and are more productive (not necessarily by choice). The average American worker got shafted. Oh, and the American healthcare system costs people twice as much than average developed countries but with worse outcomes. Single-payer would save people money because of the collective negotiating leverage to push back against $100 insulin, $350 Epipens and $20 acetaminophen.

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.

Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by refurb on Sunday February 16, 2020 @01:11AM (#22340097)
Most Americans make less, adjusted for inflation, than they did 40 years ago

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.

Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by jfim on Sunday February 16, 2020 @02:13AM (#22340294)
What other components are there than salary, for the average non-tech worker?
Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by refurb on Sunday February 16, 2020 @02:50AM (#22340448)
Health insurance, life insurance, 401k match or other retirement benefits, etc.
Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by ridewinter on Sunday February 16, 2020 @07:55AM (#22341339)
The median income in the US has in fact been on the rise for a long time: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United...
Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by hannasanarion on Saturday February 15, 2020 @05:42PM (#22338548)
And unskilled workers earn less. So what?
Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by wormseed on Saturday February 15, 2020 @05:50PM (#22338582)
Not necessarily. One datapoint: Amazon pays fulfilment workers $15/hour in the US, but €11/hour (~$12) in Germany
Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by fzeroracer on Saturday February 15, 2020 @06:17PM (#22338726)
I imagine if you took a look at total compensation (vacation, PTO, insurance, maternity leave), stronger labor laws and other societal benefits such as cheaper college, those workers earning €11/hr would probably be able to save a lot more of it compared to their counterpart in the US.

And bonus if they get sick, they don't have to worry as much about losing their job and spiraling down into crippling debt.

Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by golf1052 on Saturday February 15, 2020 @06:01PM (#22338632)
How far does $15/hour go in some parts of the US vs €11/hour in some parts of Germany?
Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by the_mitsuhiko on Sunday February 16, 2020 @02:23AM (#22340341)
Even accounting for differences in income the cost for private doctor visits don’t make the US system cheaper.

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.

Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by sdinsn on Saturday February 15, 2020 @06:09PM (#22338684)
> And unskilled workers earn less.

Is this actually true?

Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by NightlyDev on Saturday February 15, 2020 @10:24PM (#22339617)
Well, that's highly dependendent on what country in Europe you compare it to, as it can go both ways...
Re:Sweden gives employees unpaid time off to be entrepreneur... by JDiculous on Sunday February 16, 2020 @10:50AM (#22342045)
They also have a lot more student loans. Doctors graduate with $300k+ in student debt.