1. I have. My main point is that the survey is about how people feel about their finance, not actual financial reality as in "one-third cannot afford food, shelter, and healthcare". The survey itself actually says
> roughly one-third of individuals have difficulty making ends meet and approximately one out of five sometimes have difficulty paying for basic needs like food, housing, and medical care.
So even taking it at face value, the ratio is 1/5 instead of 1/3? And also
> while financial circumstances are highly correlated with financial well-being scores, individuals with quite different experiences can arrive at the same score
This further indicates the survey is about people's perception about personal finance, not objective financial reality.
2. IMHO, the author's point is not really "US spends a lot on healthcare as a country", but that US is a "rich" country but people are "poor" because they have little dispensable income after paying for healthcare etc. Comparing total insurance premium against household income is a faulty way to support that point. I agree US spends a lot on healthcare, but it's not bad enough to justify labeling US people as "poor".
> roughly one-third of individuals have difficulty making ends meet and approximately one out of five sometimes have difficulty paying for basic needs like food, housing, and medical care.
So even taking it at face value, the ratio is 1/5 instead of 1/3? And also
> while financial circumstances are highly correlated with financial well-being scores, individuals with quite different experiences can arrive at the same score
This further indicates the survey is about people's perception about personal finance, not objective financial reality.
2. IMHO, the author's point is not really "US spends a lot on healthcare as a country", but that US is a "rich" country but people are "poor" because they have little dispensable income after paying for healthcare etc. Comparing total insurance premium against household income is a faulty way to support that point. I agree US spends a lot on healthcare, but it's not bad enough to justify labeling US people as "poor".