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A comment on Ask HN: A US programmer makes 3 times that of a EU programmer. Why?. Parent comment

Re:Ask HN: A US programmer makes 3 times that of a EU progra... by jstx1 on Tuesday October 12, 2021 @06:52AM (#28838220)
Also, just because those benefits exist doesn't mean that they're good or worth it. In the UK I often need to access healthcare privately not through the NHS. My projected state pension is a joke even though the National Insurance contributions are significant. I feel like I'm paying a lot and not getting anything in return. Add to that the high cost of living in London and the whole picture looks much worse than the US given the difference in salaries.
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Re:Ask HN: A US programmer makes 3 times that of a EU progra... by eldelshell on Tuesday October 12, 2021 @08:09AM (#28838732)
Just saying, check what a private health insurance costs in the US vs the UK. Even if the NHS is not the best, it's a big market force which makes it very hard for private insurances to fuck you up in the ass like in the US. At least in my country, having my 4 pax family in a premium private insurance costs me close to 400€/m.
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Re:Ask HN: A US programmer makes 3 times that of a EU progra... by cosmodisk on Tuesday October 12, 2021 @05:25PM (#28845273)
It's impossible to adequately talk about private insurance in the UK: you still have to go to your GP and if the state won't give the service (e.g. MRI scan) fast enough, only and only then the private insurance would step in.. I can't comment on the US insurance but I have a feeling it's quite different.
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Re:Ask HN: A US programmer makes 3 times that of a EU progra... by digianarchist on Tuesday October 12, 2021 @07:10AM (#28838323)
NHS care seems to depend entirely on the trust.

Both my mother and uncle have had hip replacements. Mother waited 6 months. My uncle was wait-listed for years before going private.

Walk in centres appear to be universally bad everywhere. Canada's are meccas in comparison.

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Re:Ask HN: A US programmer makes 3 times that of a EU progra... by mattmanser on Wednesday October 13, 2021 @06:27PM (#28858385)
NI is something like 10% up to £40,000 then 1% after that.

i.e. not very much. Like on £100,000, top 1%, you pay £5,879 in NI

The state pensions is higher than that per year. Plus free health care.

So how you feel you're paying 'a lot' when you can get full treatment for cancer, for free, boggles my mind.

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