That’s true everywhere though. In 2014, the bottom 50% in France warned just 15,000 euros per year on average: https://voxeu.org/sites/default/files/image/FromMay2014/garb.... That’s only a little bit higher than the average income of the bottom 20% in the US: https://www.advisorperspectives.com/images/content_image/dat.... In terms of income, the people somewhat below the median in France are doing similarly to the very bottom in the US. But none are making enough to weather illness or disability.

In most countries, most people are reliant on the safety net in the case of illness or disability. The French safety net is much more comprehensive, but the US has safety net programs. But they’re unevenly distributed across the country. When one of my family members on the west coast was unemployed, his treatment for his heart attack was covered by Medicaid. Most of the populous states extend Medicaid to everyone below a certain income level. Indeed, about 3/4 of the uninsured in the US are eligible for some sort of insurance, and many of them are eligible for Medicaid but simply don’t sign up. Some states like Texas don’t extend Medicaid to working age adults, but they’re in the minority of states.

The gulf between the US and “the other side of the Atlantic” is much smaller than it is made to seem. Federal, state, and local governments spend almost $7 trillion a year on services. We spend 35% of GDP, compared to say 38% for the UK or 41% for Spain: https://www.economicshelp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/top.... There is a bigger gap between Sweden and Spain than Spain and the US.

Moreover, people understate the structural challenges in the US that can’t be solved by money. If we just enacted universal healthcare (Medicare for All) our total government spending would jump to 50% of GDP, higher than Sweden or Norway. (And that’s not even adding in free college, etc.)