Reddit mentions of Das Knie: Diagnostik – Therapie – Rehabilitation (German Edition)

I'm in Austria, right next door to /u/rommelo in Germany (no kangaroos). We have similar systems. So everything s|he said applies as a worker here. I also lived and worked in the Netherlands for some years. The similar system exists there.

First I'll respond to you specific questions from your dad:

• Name one country whose economy is better than the US with socialized healthcare
  First, define "better" If your dad mentions GDP, ask him if his personal well being is tied to the US stock market (if you want to win the argument and he happens to be a major stockholder, maybe don't ask this question). For 99% of the US, the answer is "no." Then look at the countries with the highest happiness and quality of life values. They are all countries with socialized healthcare. I live in Vienna, that has won Mercers worldwide award for the highest quality of life for the last 9 years straight.
  
  
• US has more competition thus better healthcare, other countries come to us when they need something important done
  The US does not have either more ("better") competition, nor better healthcare. Empirical studies list the US as 11th of 11 in healthcare results for industrialized nations.
  
  Regarding the second portion of the statement: This is only true for the ultra-wealthy and only for some specific organs like heart issues at the Mayo Clinic. For example, alpine skiing was invented in Austria, and thus knee injuries due to alpine skiing are really, really common here. You want the best knee surgeon, see Dr. Schabus in Vienna (he literally wrote a book titled, "The Knee").
  
  
• Something about long lines
  This is just incorrect. I walk next door to my GP. I wait between 5-15 minutes to see her.
  
  
• Something about how Trump is creating (or trying to create) competition between insurance companies which somehow fixes things?
  This is bullshit and won't help healthcare, it will actually make it worse. Trump suggests allowing insurance companies to sell across state lines to "increase competition." In reality, it will mean all insurance companies will relocate to business tax haven states like Joe Biden's Delaware. They'll make higher profits and be protected by those state laws against their customers' rightful claims.
  
  Back to the beginning. I also run a business here in Austria for nearly 25 years. Socialized healthcare is expensive for a startup. We are a small, niche consulting company, so employee costs are our biggest financial liability. But! In nearly 25 years I have never had to spend time negotiating with an insurance company about plans. I don't have to deal with unexpected price jumps, service changes, plan changes, etc. I don't have to discuss this with potential employees beforehand. Our health insurance is a non-issue during hiring. Health insurance is for our business a complete non-issue except for costs, which are known and easy to estimate - I fire up a website and plug in potential salaries and a few (like 4) details about where we're located and I know in 10 seconds how much healthcare will cost for a new hire, or if I'm considering giving someone a raise. This is super nice as an employer. I was a partner in a US company for a couple years, and I know health insurance is something that has to be looked after very often to not get a nasty surprise (and this was 15 years ago).
  
  Hope this helps!