Don't forget (or did I miss it?) that most states have deductions for medical insurance premiums which most Americans fail to use. You may find this intersting:

http://www.pnhp.org/facts/singlepayer_faq.php


>>>Now, how about that percentage of income tax to fund yours?
>>
>>This is the slam dunk. I personally pay less for healthcare, less income tax, lower percent of the govertment budget for healthcare and less of the GDP.
>>
>>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Canada#Canadian_health_care_in_comparison
>
>OK so putting aside this detriment : "The government rations spending, which also leads to lower costs even if the quality of the system. And Canada's proximity to the US offers some citizens a payable substitute for health care which increases the country's mortality rate."
>
>According to that link 16.2% of government revenue is spent on health care. According to http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/individuals/faq/taxrates-e.html, the minimum income to garner a 22% income tax is $36379, where the first $36378 is taxed at 15.25%.
>
>As an example, let's say that you make $54567, which is halfway between the 15.25% and 22% brackets.
> $36378*15.25% : $5547.65
>+ $18189*22% : $4001.58
> = $9549.23
>
>Multiplied by 16.2% = $1546.98
>Divided by 12 months leaves us with $128.92/mo you are paying into a system that you claim to only pay $36 for. This doesn't include any other revenue that the government takes in which you also pay (ie sales tax, capital gains, property taxes).
>
>This is a rather simplified look but it makes the point rather clearly. You are paying a lot more for your health care then you are leading on. None of my income tax goes to my health care so the figures I've provided are accurate. With careful planning we're able to offset those costs through investment. If you want to nitpick and say that the interest off our account should be counted as unrealized income, then that's your right, just know that the net effect of my health care on my bottom line is $0 and my family is fully covered.