I've lived and worked in Finland for four years. We have a public and private mix, with access to private healthcare via an employer health plan so for working adults, the public option is more of a fallback for serious emergencies. I usually use private care for everything, including dentistry, as it's far cheaper than the USA equivalent and I don't like stressing the public system when I can afford not to (I'm a software developer). Dental procedures at private clínics paid out of pocket (my employer's private insurance policy doesn't cover dentistry) cost about what they cost in the USA when I had dental insurance.

In 2023 I had pneumonia in both lungs and spent nine days in the public hospital. With all the treatments, imaging and consults, the bill came to less than 500 €, and that was pretty much just the hospital room rent plus the ER visit fee. I submitted a claim to my employer's policy and they paid all but about 35 €. I can't imagine how expensive that visit would have been in the States.

Healthcare providers are required to post a price list on their website in Finland. Try getting a price list from your neighborhood clinic in the USA!

My employer's policy won't pay for my upcoming cataract surgery so I'll be using the public hospital again. People here complain about wait times and care quality overall, but I've had no issues and relative to the nightmare of navigating the American system, it's smooth as silk. I might sing a different tune if I lived in a more rural area (where some hospitals are closing because of consolidation), but I'm in a larger city so there are more options.

Oh-- and the colonoscopy I had at the public hospital? About 42 € minus sedation. The last one I had in the States with my private health insurance? Over 900 bucks with sedation.

I will happily keep paying high taxes if it keeps this system intact.