Re: Health Savings Accounts

My point is that European systems have kept much better control
of the evolution of costs in their medical care systems than the US.
Their approach is working and gives no evidence of collapsing.

As a % of GDP from 1986 to 1992 US medical care expenses
have gone from 10.8 => 14.6% and are still rising (currently
at 15%), a 35% increase. Sweden’s are nearly constant, from
8.7% to 9.5% in the same time period. France’s went from
8.5% to 9.7% (these are OECD figures).

Jerry Okamura...

"Nearly" constant. What the heck does that mean. All of these countries
you used in your example has has seen an increase have they not? What is
the long term ramifications of that trend if it continues? Perhaps to the
point that just about all of their GDP is devoted to healthcare? What is to
stop that from happening? What other segment of the economies of these
countries are rising at or above the rate?

These are not snake oil promises but long term accomplishments
in which significant numbers of people are not left without
insurance as in the US.

Jerry Okamura...

And that is necessarily bad?

Next, your statement about “a typical European does not work
half as hard as a US worker” is not factual.

There are no statistics gathered on “how hard” people work.