The first thing that I get asked about when I tell people I'm from the U.S. is whether or not I have health insurance and how I can afford it. Unlike the European system, health insurance in the U.S. is privatized and can be super expensive for Americans. We are expected to pay out of pocket for health insurance monthly and sometimes co-pay or deductibles with our employer's health insurance. In Europe, health insurance is paid for by taxes, and everyone has free access to the public healthcare system with no strings attached. Doctor's appointments, hospital bills, ambulance services and prescription medicine are all paid for. All the Europeans I've met think that our system is absolutely insane because of how expensive healthcare is, how much an ambulance bill costs and how much it costs even to have a baby. Although they pay for these necessities through their taxes, it still comes out to be much less expensive than healthcare costs in the U.S. Similarly, college education is almost completely free here because it is paid for by taxes. For example, my friend, who primarily studies in Germany, pays less than $200 per semester to study at his well-known four-year university.
The second thing that I usually get asked about is transportation.
