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Comment by belter | Hacker News Reader

Let’s chat after you receive your first astronomical out-of-network health insurance bill or experience the joy of joining the 30% of health claims routinely denied by U.S. insurance companies....Unless, of course, you’re a VP of something. In that case, your effort to pass yourself off as the quintessential 'regular Joe' is comedy gold.

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High earners in America has it much better when it comes to healthcare than most Europeans. Public system means you (as a high earner) are paying a lot (because in most EU countries it's based on % of your income) and you still wait in the same line, often for years even when it comes to procedures you can't function without.

I paid more for my public health insurance than some of the most premium plans in US and I still needed to pay out of pocket when my cervical spine gave up and I was in pain for months. I would need to wait 2-3 years to get it done by public healthcare even though I contributed to it 20x what an average earner has.

There is no chance EU attracts any kind of talent with policies like those. Maybe Switzerland (reasonable taxes and health insurance independent of your income) or countries like Cyprus. Old EU is all about sucking out all you produce and giving it to others. Great deal if you are a pensioner or government worker, not so much when you are someone who can generate a lot of income yourself.

>In that case, your effort to pass yourself off as the quintessential 'regular Joe' is comedy gold.

I, an individual contributor, have the same HDHP that the CEO does-- with maxxed-out HSA of course.

Your maxxed-out HSA will not save you if cancer comes.

You're still gambling.

Nothing can save me if cancer comes.

Cancer is either treatable or not. You either get cured or you die, and I don't care if I die broke. If it is curable I'll pay for it. If it is incurable, I'll go broke: so what?

That being said if I lived in Europe I'd have to hope that a football star is willing to auction his shoes to fund my trip to the US for treatment and I don't want that.

> That being said if I lived in Europe I'd have to hope that a football star is willing to auction his shoes to fund my trip to the US for treatment and I don't want that.

Generally, most of these cases where people are raising money to travel for treatment are about... dubious treatment which your insurance probably doesn't cover either. Evidence-based cancer treatment is of course available in Europe.

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