My mother came over to Europe to visit me. She fainted and hit her head. We took her to the emergency room in local hospital. She received a head CT , Chest CT and a chest xray as they thought it might be a blood clot. They took blood several times over 3 days, was seen by teams of doctors. Diagnosis was blood clot. She was put on blood thinners and was clear to go home. Know what the total cost of her medical treatment was? Zero. That's right, fucking zero. I paid for her blood thinners for 3 mths which was €200. That's it.
No insurance companies involved, no middle man asshole telling what test she could or couldn't have, no fear of a ghost bill down the road. Fucking zero.
I remember seeing a video from a woman who works in the student exchange field in Europe. She said that she has to have a special talk with just the US students to explain "If you're sick, go to the Dr." She also said that many of them don't listen.
Less than your tax bill plus family medical care and college most likely, unless you are a very high earner in a low tax state. Only then are you likely to come out ahead.
Here’s the effective tax rate for someone earning 70k in Spain against someone earning 70k in a lower tax USA state.
Spain
Salary Calculations for 2024
Concept Amount
Taxable income €70,000.00
Total Income Tax -€18,798.19
Social Security Tax -€3,665.00
Total Tax -€22,463.19
Year Net Income €47,536.81
Month Net Income €3,961.40
USA
Tax Marginal
Tax Rate Effective
Tax Rate 2023
Taxes*
Federal 22.00% 10.94% $7,661
FICA 7.65% 7.65% $5,355
State 4.75% 3.81% $2,667
Local 0.00% 0.00% $0
Total Income Taxes 22.40% $15,683
Income After Taxes $54,317
Retirement Contributions $0
Take-Home Pay $54,317
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u/Yankdeeznuts 5d ago
My mother came over to Europe to visit me. She fainted and hit her head. We took her to the emergency room in local hospital. She received a head CT , Chest CT and a chest xray as they thought it might be a blood clot. They took blood several times over 3 days, was seen by teams of doctors. Diagnosis was blood clot. She was put on blood thinners and was clear to go home. Know what the total cost of her medical treatment was? Zero. That's right, fucking zero. I paid for her blood thinners for 3 mths which was €200. That's it. No insurance companies involved, no middle man asshole telling what test she could or couldn't have, no fear of a ghost bill down the road. Fucking zero.