Who?

I already developed some health problems, that need light treatment so far, but I guess from now on US for me is like untouchable, if I were younger, but when I was younger I was still too left-leaning to accept living in US

> The reality is that if you are a halfway competent worker, and you move to a populated area, you can pretty easily find a job with health insurance.

This is absolutely true, especially for tech workers but doesn't it concern you that you need to be a cog in the machine to get this benefit?

If you want to work for yourself ("the American dream") you either have to risk having no insurance or pay $700+ a month for baseline coverage for 1 person (price varies by state). There was even a time a few years ago where you had to pay a federal penalty if you didn't have medical insurance. I forgot the exact year, maybe it was 2016 or so but I remember the government forcing me to pay around ~$3,000 for literally not having insurance.

Have you ever needed any significant healthcare in the US? Putting aside the financial extortion that attracts the most attention, the overall system has been thoroughly trashed by the "insurance" cartels. Appointments have been diced up into 10-15 minute blips, often with a different doctor every time (group practice). You get just enough time for some pleasantries, they tell you their pre-canned suggestion, and then you get one or maybe two questions before they start pushing you out the door with a broom. And that's presenting as a reasonably intelligent person with means.

Never mind having to advocate for someone in the hospital and be continually chummy with the nurses so they see your family member as a person worth their stretched attention rather than just another body to keep warm and checklisted, while also nudging them to the mitigate the systematic incompetence but not too much lest you end up on the shit list.

I can't speak to Europe's systems though. Perhaps they're even worse.

> If you can stomach the $200 to $250/month plans, you will get better healthcare than anywhere in Europe.

Sources? My friends in the US who are from the EU and moved for some version of the American dream seem to disagree. And the point is; I don't want my 'job' to be in charge of my health insurance, ever. It is a perverse incentive (they can blackmail me with it and a lot more things; not legal, but I haven't seen many companies care about that little inconvenience). They should pay into it, but when I lose my job, my insurance should continue as if nothing happened. $250/mo is absolutely nothing though; I have friends on private plans double or more that and they still got fucked in the US because 'some reasons'/contract blah; when you are ill you don't want to bother with that shit; you just should get what you paid for for decades, not hire lawyers and have to go to court with a central line in you. That simply doesn't happen here; I will not get refused anything I need, even if I pay E0 (which I do not). Sure it might end some time, but it's gonna be a toss up depending on the coming years who has it worse.

This depends heavily on the company and what they choose to subsidize in their healthcare plan. There are very much jobs out there that have quality plans for cheap, so long as the company leadership has decided to eat the insurance bill. Some even provided free health insurance prior to the Affordable Care Act making that a "Cadillac Plan," though the ACA did improve other things.

> If you can stomach the $200 to $250/month plans, you will get better healthcare than anywhere in Europe.

I beg to differ, Switzerland is top notch and at least comparable to above. Accident insurance is mandatory for all employers and you pay 0 nothing, sickness insurance is slightly above the costs you mention and paid by every resident. Due to country being tiny you are never too far from really well staffed and equipped hospitals. I'd expect nordics have also at least very decent healthcare system.

Plus when you have any sort of issue, any normal employer is not desperately looking for ways to fire you quickly. Social safety net is on completely another level compared to US. Also lower taxes. Healthier environment to live, much better food. Vastly better and free public school system. And so on. If you plan kids, US costs will quickly spiral out of control unless on FAANG salaries, and then you have corresponding costs. Or you just let have your kids have those wonderful student loans, fuck their freedom and best years right.

But yes its still probably the most capitalistic country in Europe, and they are where they are due to all this, not some alt-right fairy tales about evil bankers and nazi gold I keep hearing from those who skipped way too many history (and other) lessons at school. Germany could be at same level but 8x more if they didn't adopt continuously ridiculously bad social direction and dangerously terrible and weak leaders. Alas, Germany's economical future and conversely EU's doesn't look that great due to this.

And what do you suggest during a recession, where finding a job is not so easy?

Yeah my company fired hundreds of people in USA at the start of covid, someone asked about health insurance and the CEO said "they'll be fine. We cover them for 30 more days".

A dream, really :D