Earlier quoted context omitted.
definitely the case in Germany. If you're unemployment and not looking for a job or exempt from it(sickness, poverty, ...), you're going to need to pay on your own.
So... not the case in Germany. You don't need to be employed or in social programs, you can just pay money. In Germany it's a fixed amount, less than you would pay if you had income, and they can't refuse you. I know to a European this might sound like the only two options, but pre-Obamacare, and very possibly again if the US can't get its shit together, it was impossible to buy health insurance no matter how much mo…
If there are different pricing tiers based on employment status, then the healthcare system is contingent on employment by definition. It's commendable that the American and European healthcare systems aren't contingent on pre-existing conditions, but that's a distinct issue.