On 13-10-2009 0:15, Darren New wrote:
> andrel wrote:
>> Indeed that was also my understanding. Still called credit card and 
>> mine is a mastercard issued by my bank.
> 
> It's probably a card that looks like a credit card to the routing 
> network, but which the bank treats as withdraws.
The only differences are that the withdrawals can be settled later and 
not immediately as with our other cards, and that they are accepted abroad.

>>> A credit card here actually gives you money you don't have, just like 
>>> getting a loan for a house.
>>
>> For some reason that concept is not very popular here. There might be 
>> a relation with that and the low number of personal bankruptcies.
> 
> Could be.  It's certainly possible to use it responsibly.  I'd have to 
> look at the statistics to see why there are so many bankruptcies. (I've 
> also heard that most bankruptcies at least until the last few years or 
> so were caused by medical bills. That wouldn't surprise me, 

me neither.

> but I have 
> nothing better than newspaper comments there anyway. For something like 
> that, I'd want to go to the sources.)

seems fair to me.

So what is your government going to do about these medical bankruptcies? 
They do cost the society a lot of money. Both in unpaid bills and 
diminished health that may prevent them from working and paying tax later.

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