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Comment by bobbles | Hacker News Reader

Sorry, but I think this is delusional. The fact that I can break my leg and pay for nothing more in the hospital than a pair of crutches to take home in no way is related to what I want to do professionally.

On the other hand, the fact that it could cost some ridiculous amount in the states would definitely drive me to wanting to stay put in a reliable salary position in corporate world.

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I'm from Denmark, maybe the country with the best social safety net in the world. The state pays your medical bills, your school and education (you even get a state allowance to live on while you study), if you lose your job the state will give you money, and so on. You can actually live a whole life with nothing but statemoney.

The startup culture here is terrible, exactly because of this. People become cosy and risk averse because they don't really need to fight, and because there's no need to.

So i think the parent hits the nail pretty much on the head.

That's an interesting correlation that you've transformed into causation.

Actually, a "reliable salary position in corporate world" is actually not -- you could get fired, or even if you don't you might get denied the coverage by your insurance company. In the US, as I understand it, the most reliable way to enjoy a similar level of social protection provided by most European countries is to get quite wealthy, amirite?

To play devil's advocate, there are different ways of looking at this. While in theory you're right, I'm not sure startup founders are thinking of their health insurance when they decide to quit their jobs. They are probably more concerned with immediate requirements, like raw shelter, food and utilities. But again, there's several ways to look at it.

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