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horrifyingthought t1_je81gxu wrote

US Healthcare - every job offers some form of healthcare. No one has any leverage. The healthcare is shitty. It's a million stitched together independent hospitals, non-profits, doctors, etc.

Everywhere else - the government is the ONLY provider of healthcare, and it covers EVERYONE.

Therefore, the government sets the price points, there is no worrying about what plan you have or if your provider is "in network," you simply... have affordable healthcare covered for the most part by taxes.

The side benefit of this is that jobs become more competitive - in the US, you can't leave your job if you need the healthcare it provides, AND jobs have to provide good healthcare to lure good workers. Everywhere else, if you could find a better job, you can go take it without interrupting your healthcare plan, making the job market for employees better through increased competition.

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Colmarr t1_je8btwb wrote

It’s not that simple.

In Australia, for example, there are many private providers but we have a system called Medicare under which those private providers service the general public at agreed rates that will be paid by the government.

The private providers can also provide other services at private rates, but people have the choice whether to use “public” providers or private providers.

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horrifyingthought t1_je8c8qw wrote

It's "explain it like I am five," not "provide me with the various national blueprints that the US could adopt."

I am aware not every other nation adopts a single payer system, or adopts a single payer that outlaws private healthcare at the same time. But for someone who has no fucking clue what any of that means, I feel I provided I decent starting point.

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Colmarr t1_je8f3jp wrote

Your comment seems unduly heated.

ELI5 requests simple explanations but that doesn't mean the answers should be outright wrong like this comment you made:

>Everywhere else - the government is the ONLY provider of healthcare, and it covers EVERYONE.

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horrifyingthought t1_jec35d5 wrote

It's an excellent baseline understanding of what other rich countries do to have successful healthcare. For the purposes of talking to a 5 year old, it is correct.

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