Health Care’s Continental Divide

Bernie Sanders restarted the debate about single-payer health care on Sunday by proposing “Medicare for all.” Leonid Bershidsky pointed outthat in Europe, his idea would hardly be radical. But Megan McArdlefinds the Sanders plan implausible in the U.S. Bloomberg View invited them to debate whether American health care could imitate Europe’s.

Leonid Bershidsky: After just a few days into my visit to the U.S., no fewer than 10 people have told me this country will never adopt a European-style health-care system. It’s incomprehensible to me. I live in Germany and, like 85 percent of all German residents, I’m covered by what’s known as statutory health insurance. It’s financed by mandatory contributions of 14.6 percent of income, shared 50/50 between employer and employee. The earner of the average German annual wage of $43,300 pays $263 per month, and any children he or she has — plus a spouse or partner who doesn’t work — are covered by this amount.

In the U.S., the average Obamacare premium is $408 per person. Read More…