How can the countries like Canada, England, and France afford to give their citizens absolutely free Health?

Question

care when these people pay much less taxes, if any, then Americans do?

Wow! Look at all the Brain washed people answering this question!

Evidently you folks should all see the Movie "SICKO" by Michael Moore - you would change your arguments in a heart beat!

Lo Siento!

Answer 1

Canadians pay 70% in taxes. I don't. It's not free someone is paying for it. Ask the world leaders that come to the United States for their health care. "Why don't you stay home and get the care you need." Because it's not there when you need it.

Answer 2

A better question would be how can other countries not afford to provide health care. Canada is not broke or trillions of dollars in debt. I can't answer for England and France but up here at least all of our citizens have access to it and that is a tangible result of paying taxes. At the risk of all the thumbs down from Americans, you all say your system is best but best for whom? Not the poor, the ones that need the healthcare system the most. Yes, there can be waiting lists but you make it sound like there is a waiting list to treat a heart attack patient at the door. the waiting lists are for specialists but if you really want to see one sooner, you can supplement the process by having insurance that provides for quicker access to specialists. You all seem to generalize about everything and if our healthcare is so expensive, why are alot of the US states allowing your seniors to buy drugs from here, because healthcare is the priority and not profit and taking care of our neediest is what our government does, rather than cater to the multinationals that are the reason so many of you all cannot afford to get the care some need. Every low income earner in the US that needs to re-mortgage their home or lose it because one of their children gets ill or hurt just to pay for a hospital or doctor that makes millions in profits is an affront to the ideals of your great Nation. Give us your poor, your tired, yeah, right...

P.S.
For guys like Tommy above me that claim we pay 70% in taxes, get a grip Bud. Like you , we are taxed based on the income earned. Jeez...

Answer 3

It's not free, they do pay higher federal taxes than we do but in comparison the overall cost for their health coverage is less. I have several friends in Canada so I get this info first hand. I pay around $7,800 per year for a family health care plan here in the US. That does not include dental or vision and I still have a $1,000 deductible. My friend in Regina makes about the same amount of money as I do and pays around $3,200 in federal taxes for their health care. That includes dental, vision, drugs, and no deductible charge. They say they have little to no waits for care (average a 30 minute wait in a clinic), and the quality of care is comparable.

So in comparison I could pay $4,600 less, have a full medical plan with no deductibles and receive about the same level of care.

Something else to consider, that savings does not even include the cost savings that a business would have in not having to pay employee health care premiums. So not only would individuals be saving money but businesses would also.

Answer 4

They have a different world view that we are all in this together. Health care is the same as buying that HD T.V. or a car or house. You can`t afford to pay for it all right now but you can make a payment. Paying for health care in taxes is just like having a envelope that you throw money in because some day you will need it. Not-only-that but we would have government oversight that would make sure we are looking for cures instead of just selling pills for symptoms.

Answer 5

Taxation. In the UK money derived from Income Tax and what are known as National Insurance contributions are used to fund the National Health Service (NHS). NHS healthcare is only FREE in as much as there is no charge at the point of service. Everyone who pays taxes pays the same (depending on tax band) irrespective of how much or how little healthcare they get.

Not all NHS services are entirely free to everyone, even at point of service - people have to pay a contribution to opthalmic and dental care, for example (unless they are on a low income, under 18, pregnant or with a young child).

The standard of health care is good but corners are cut in other areas - e.g. waiting lists are long (despite government figures to the contrary which fiddle them by treating easy cases first to improve averages).

It's really just a question of priorities - our taxes pay for a Health Service, I guess American taxes are used in other areas (perhaps a higher proportion goes on Defence, for example).

Answer 6

I am an Englishman living in France and I can assure you that healthcare is not free in either country.In the UK the health service is funded through taxation,in France the taxes are lower but if you go visit a doctor for example,you have to pay.
The current fee is 20 euros

Answer 7

In Canada, we do have health care, however it is not given free.
We pay for it in out income taxes, and that is how it is funded.
It is a god send for all.
I believe the other countries you mentioned have similar tax based health care.
By the way, some of the people who answered ahead of me are so misguided in their beliefs of Canadian health care, that it is a shame they do not take the time to get the facts before they spout their drivel

Answer 8

The answer is we don't pay less tax, we pay significantly more, we pay tax in many ways, we pay income tax at around 40%, we also pay national insurance, we pay road tax, we pay inheritance tax, we pay council tax and we pay business tax.

Although some of those taxes don't contribute directly to our national health system it does mean there is more money in the bigger pot. Also as a nation we spend less per head on things like space exploration and military causes, all of which means we can have a national health service. But even our system struggles....

Hope that answers your questions.

Look at countries such as Germany and Switzerland for even higher taxed nations.

Answer 9

For one, they don't have a bloated military budget ! The taxes they pay go directly to the services needed,without all the bickering that goes on in our govt.! We have 'socialized' fire care ! They come out for 'free', and put out fires,without all the red tape ! Works pretty good ! Why don't we treat health care like we do fire care?

Answer 10

They do pay taxes to support their systems, but it has to be recognized that we pay taxes to support our system too.
We just don't use that money to make sure we are getting the best bang for our buck. And we have a huge amount of people who are brainwashed by the insurance companies.