[ExI] Why is “cost of living” such a big problem?

[spike at rainier66.com]

>>... On Behalf Of Adrian Tymes via extropy-chat
Subject: Re: [ExI] Why is “cost of living” such a big problem?

On Thu, Nov 5, 2026 at 2:00 PM spike jones via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:


>>... From what I can tell, Sweden is nearly indistinguishable from the US system

>...In the very email you replied to, Henrik gave a bunch of differences.
I'll copy and paste the table he gave, in case you missed it:

| | Sweden | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Cost (% of GDP) | ~11% | ~18% |
| Coverage | Everyone, automatically | ~92% insured, with gaps | Cost if 
| you get sick | Max ~$140/year | Can reach tens of thousands
(deductibles) |
| Wait for planned care | Often months; ~35% wait >90 days | Often
shorter — if you're insured |
| Choice | Choose your clinic (private included), but no insurance to
pick | Pick your insurance, but network restrictions |
| The citizen's "cost" | High income tax (~30–35% total) | Lower
taxes, but employer premiums |

_______________________________________________


Medicine does cost a lot more in the USA, for reasons we already established: the cost of the research and qualification must be paid back.  In the states, we have robust intellectual property law.  The pharma companies can't really charge those prices outside the USA, because those countries could duplicate the formulas at low expense, resulting in the US-based pharma company losing the sale and facing bankruptcy.  If medical research doesn't pay, medical research doesn't happen.  Investors go elsewhere.

Sweden took in a lot of US citizens during the Vietnam war.  One might conclude they would take them now.  I met yank expatriates while I was in Sweden last spring.  Going there is an option.

spike