A lot of those things are based on life circumstances. If you have a large family in a major metropolitan area making the median income then yeah you might be worse off.
If you are a tech worker in a small city or town then it can be quite lucrative. You have a lot of control over these variables, especially when younger.
>Less so after you correct for all of the things which we have to pay for out of pocket: health insurance, copays, drugs, etc. but also things like education, childcare, retirement, transportation, and often housing.
You end up paying for those things in other countries where you're provided them but not directly charged for it. The difference is in the USA for most of those if you don't pay you simply don't get the service, while in other countries you get the service but the tax-man may come and put you in jail if you don't pay for them. It's an individual choice but I prefer getting to pick (at least a little bit) how to spend that money personally rather than the government entirely deciding for me, although I can see how someone coming from a place where government does all that would find it uncomfortable.
But that’s the point: you’re already paying more in taxes for healthcare than anyone else in the world, and then you’re paying again to an insurance company. You’re literally paying twice.
If you are a tech worker in a small city or town then it can be quite lucrative. You have a lot of control over these variables, especially when younger.