When comparing healthcare costs between USA and Europe, everybody speak about the public systems vs. USA, but I would like to see the cost per person of the private plans in Europe against the cost per person in the USA.
For what I read about USA, in HN and in other places, I suspect Americans would be surprised too. Those private plans have a very hard competitor in the public system, so, somehow, at least in my area, they manage to be pretty affordable.
in Germany, private plans are often 1/2 of the public plan. But only at young age, prices will go up with age and switching back in the public system is legally blocked (for most cases).
Also private plans are mostly only available above a certain income level. So the demographics are skewed towards better educated, richer and thereby healthier people in the privat plans.
