What percentage of your income are you willing to spend on health insurance?

[many a good man]

France was ranked by the World Health Organization as having the best health care system in the world. Workers pay a flat 12.8% of their income into a fund which covers all their medical bills with the exception of a reasonable co-pay per visit.

Questions:

1) What percentage of your income are you willing to pay to provide universal health coverage for everyone?

2) What percentage of your income do you pay now for health care?

[Cleita]

1. That's less than I pay now and I have Medicare. I pay 20% now. n/t

[Manifestor_of_Light]

2. What if you don't have a job?

I only have income from a renthouse.
Most of that money goes to property taxes on the renthouse. I live where we have no state income tax so the property taxes are horrendous.

Will they have a means test? Will they count up your assets? I don't have any liquid assets.


I'm too young for social security and I have stopped looking for a job b/c it was futile.

[many a good man]

5. 12.8% of 0 = 0

I'm not sure how it's done in France or other countries, but let's assume it is 12.8% of whatever your income is, the way income is currently defined. Aren't your property taxes deductible on your federal income tax?

No means test, no assets included. Straight income. Would that figure be doable for you?

[Cleita]

6. Universal means everyone gets a card. Payroll taxes aren't the only source

for funding. Otherwise, children, the disabled and the elderly wouldn't be included. It's just that payroll taxes are the main source of funding and the largest.

[John Q. Citizen]

3. Where are your answers?

I don't have insurance

[many a good man]

4. I pay 3%

It's EE+1 with the cheap HMO option. The percentage is so low because I make six figures.

I would gladly pay 12.8% for the comfort of knowing that 1)I would always have life insurance when times are both good and bad; and 2) to know that my neighbors will also have access to health care and not worry about an unexpected illness leading to bankruptcy or death.

I'm curious to hear from others who are either starting out in life or having a hard time making ends meet. Under what income level would 12.8% be undoable?

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

7. I don't want health insurance, I want universal health care like 30 other developed countries

In many countries, health care is like roads, schools, military etc.
There is no private for profit intermediary (at least shouldn't be).

[many a good man]

8. How much are you willing to pay?

Even if you take out insurance companies it is still going to cost money. It will most likely be funded through income taxes or additional taxes levied on things like gasoline. What percentage of your income are willing to devote to health care? How much is fair?

[bkkyosemite]

9. I do not want a percentage of my income to go to medical. I now pay approx $500 for two

I want to pay no more than $100 per month to cover everything, medical, dental, vision, precriptions 100%. Without profit seeking pharma and insurance it can be done. 307 million people times $100. ($50 for children).

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

10. Hard to say on Q #1

If my employer no longer had to pay for health insurance for me, I might be making more in salary. Right now I pay 1% of salary for health insurance and employer pays 9% more or less.

[JimWis]

11. Before I opened your post, after just reading the title line, I

though about my current budget and figured a fair amount would be around 13%. Then I read your whole post and saw the 12.8%. Very interesting. Next year I will be on Medicare and most likely I will also purchase a supplemental. And I think at that point, I would be in that range. I would like to see everyone covered in that range also.

To answer your second question, I am now paying close to 25% of my income for insurance. That's a single plan by the way.