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Comment by oakmad | Hacker News Reader

I’ve lived under several different healthcare systems around the world as an adult. Coming from my time America, nothing felt more like freedom to me than walking out of a hospital in London, with a new child, and having had no interaction with a billing desk.

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On the other hand, aren’t comments like yours about the aesthetic experience of billing exactly the problem? It’s not like you didn’t pay for healthcare in Europe, you just had good vibes about the particular way that you paid. Employer sponsored health insurance plans are popular and also give good vibes.

Who have you talked to that enjoyed dealing with their insurance provider? Every single provider I’ve had had nightmarishly complicated customer support who couldn’t be trusted to give you accurate information.

Being in Switzerland. I don't mind talking to mine. So far they paid for everything I needed, they are a big company easy to deal with fast in communication which I barely need as doctors usually deal with them their self.

Imagine: I just pick a doctor, make an appointment whenever I need help for anything. They then do everything else and I just pay my monthly fee, that is basically the same for anyone. Zero hassle.

> Employer sponsored health insurance plans are popular and also give good vibes.

This sounds so crazy to me that I feel like something got miscommunicated.

Who has good vibes about their health insurance? In America?

It's not the "aesthetic experience". It's about paying fairly and progressively in a predictable way via taxation, vs. completely unpredictable billing in the US. Is it in network? Is it pre-authorized? Did your doctor code it correctly? Is it below your deductible? Is there a copayment? What mystery charges will there be? What will insurance refuse to cover, wrongly? How many rounds of appeals will you have to go, over how many months? Not so good vibes.

> also give good vibes.

I've heard enough "can't afford the risk of changing jobs" and "current work sucks, but I have to have insurance for my current issues". Honestly it doesn't feel like good vibes, especially with the recent issues on the job market.

I never had good vibes with an employer sponsored plan. I had the same employer for eleven years in TX. Every year the insurer changed. Every year there was the paper work and trying to decipher what was included and what the copay might be. There also weren’t good vibes from the providers and the way they’re forced to operate.

Yes I agree, I pay for healthcare as part of my taxes, essentially the same amount as the guy sitting next to me. To be honest it doesn’t feel any different to paying taxes in the US.

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