[Fr_Chuck]

Well I had to get my medical cleared here in China Friday. So I had to go to a local government hospital. They had to do a regular check, blood pressure, height and weight. Then a EKG, and a sonogram, then a chest x-ray, a urine test, and a full panel of blood tests along with vision and color blindness test.

I had this done in the US before coming and it cost me about 600 dollars, and that was cheap since my local doctor did it. But at my local doctor, it took about 4 hours to go to each department and get it done.

Here in China from the time I entered the hospital front door, to time out the door was about 45 minutes and it cost me 300 yuan or slightly less than 50 US dollars.

[Wondergirl]

What covers that difference? Taxes or some other individual contribution?

[NeedKarma]

I'm not sure why people try to demonize it.

[J_9]

What is the cost of living like there compared to the US?

[excon]

Hello Padre:

As a right winger, this doesn't offend you??

If we'd only undertake that system, we'd have enough left over to buy air craft carriers galore, pay for Social Security forever, and we could fix a road or two.

excon

[teacherjenn4]

Wow! If only that could be done here for that price and with that speed in getting it completed.

[tomder55]

and I'm sure it was top notch service

What paid for it ? Like everything else in China is was a Potamkin service. What ? You think the billion people of the country are privy to such service ? Get real .

[NeedKarma]

You think the billion people of the country are privy to such service ?

The same can be said of the US system as well.

[paraclete]

Well Chuck I hope your piece serves to educate although I see the right wing skeptism emerge immediately, nothing could be better and more efficient than the capitalist system, right Tom and you know you don't have to go as far as China to experience such service, just across the water is a small island called Cuba This is what happens when you keep the profiteers out of the system

[tomder55]

Lol you are holding a system that caters to elites as an example?. lolol Yes I suspect that is the same in China where the cadres and invited foreigners get premier care .

Come to think about it... that is America under Obamacare where the cadres who made the law are exempt from the provisions of the law

[paraclete]

And your systems doesn't cater for elites, like an ordinary person can become President.

Tom in China they have huge cities, some with bigger populations than your states and they have hospitals and medical care, did you notice that Chuck had to pay for service? But not the inflated price of your system, but what it costs, they have highways and inferstructure far superior to yours and they use railways for long distance transport. Just because something is different doesn't make it wrong although you may just prove the exception to the rule

[talaniman]

Maybe you need a better local doctor, or insurance. My regular 6 month check ups are 15 bucks and takes less than half an hour.

[paraclete]

So about the equivalent price to China

[Fr_Chuck]

This was not just a check up, but chest x-ray, full blood work, urine check, vision check and soon.

But the 15 bucks would be a co/pay, at least in the US, you don't walk into a doctors office for under 85 dollars in the US.

But yes, the bus service and taxi service here is better than any US city I have been to.
* no subway here*

Still traffic jam issues, during rush hours,

The income tax here is basically 10 percent for all the people, there is no sales tax at all.

Small business pay ( I am told) a slightly higher tax on its profits.

But as noted in another post, we bought health insurance before coming here,
The policy is from Aetna, well it is good in any nation of the world, EXCEPT, the US, it cost us about 225 dollars a month. The same is over 800 in US

[paraclete]

Yes Chuck we know the system is overbloated there by insurance companies and profit taking, what Tom doesn't realise is it is possible for other nations to have viable economies without rabid capitalism. Tom will want to implement the Chinese system immediately now he has heard they have a low flat tax, but you failed to tell him the only road out of town is a toll road

[tomder55]

Yeah I thought about commenting on that ;but realized it's all part of the phantom Potamkin economy they run that is well on it's way to collapse

[NeedKarma]

The chinese economy is about to collapse? The one that holds a lot of your debt? And manufactures most of the products you buy?

[tomder55]

They can't keep building cities that no one occupies forever.

[talaniman]

Even for China, herding a society that big into a single minded purpose that provides for the whole is a daunting process. Size does matter. Until they can raise an economy that reaches hundreds of trillions per year, they will struggle mightily. As do we and all the other civilized societies.

[tomder55]

Almost all of the current "growth" in their economy is phony, comprised of phony make work projects that have no economic value.