What can you tell us Yanks about Healthcare in the UK

As you all may have heard the US is talking about public health care. We are told by the conservative wing that your health care basically sucks much ass. (Long wait to see a physician, very limited care, low quality service, etc.)

Now I am no pushover, and understand that there is a lot of money on the table for politicians that side with the private insurance companies. I also understand that the private insurance companies have an enormous amount of money to lose in this game (between 2 and 3 trillion usd per year).

So I get why they may lie.

I would love it if you in the UK would share your experiences with us so that we may be more well informed. I will share your entries with people here. http://boards.msn.com/MSNBCboards/th...readid=1165584

Thanks.

You can get you boobs done on the NHS.

its free for everyone (even foreigners and potential terrorists) so i see why the US might not go for it.
but its the bees knees. nhs and the bbc, two of the best things ever.

You can get you boobs done on the NHS.

No way!!

Seriously. It's not perfect, but most thing are available and if you have a chronic illness you are helped alot and can get drugs at free or standard prescription charge depending on your situation.

Brilliant!

The biggest problem is when some advanced cancer drugs are not paid for by the NHS. It's a difficult decision as many of these drugs cost alot and prolong life more than the cheaper ones but do not cure. I

No way!!

I think you have to show serious mental anguish so it's not that easy.

That's how Hippy got his anyway.

Are there any doctors in our ranks? Would love to hear from you.

As you all may have heard the US is talking about public health care. We are told by the conservative wing that your health care basically sucks much ass. (Long wait to see a physician, very limited care, low quality service, etc.)

Now I am no pushover, and understand that there is a lot of money on the table for politicians that side with the private insurance companies. I also understand that the private insurance companies have an enormous amount of money to lose in this game (between 2 and 3 trillion usd per year).

So I get why they may lie.

I would love it if you in the UK would share your experiences with us so that we may be more well informed. I will share your entries with people here. Thanks.

I'm an American and have lived here for about two and a half years. In that time, I have had to go to the Dr twice. The first time was b/c I pulled a muscle in my neck/shoulder. I called NHS direct and they pointed me towards the closest walk-in clinic. (It was Sunday morning). I went there, got to see a nurse in less than 15 minutes, and the whole ordeal lasted less than 30 or so minutes. No charge, other than the approx £6 for the prescription pain killers.

The second time was right before xmas. I had an abscess on my hip (nasty and painful) and it made me 'systemically unwell.' So I went to Homerton hospital and saw a nurse within an hour. I was given two different cycles of antibiotics and sent on my way (with a follow-up appointment scheduled for three days later). No charge for that visit. When I went back, they decided I needed surgery, which would require an overnight stay. I went under the knife that afternoon (about 5 hours after arriving) and left early the next afternoon. Only charge from that was when I had to get a prescription for the special gauze they had to use. And because it was an abscess, I had to get the wound packed everyday for weeks. So once I had (finally) selected a local GP, I went to the office for that. No charge. And when the office was closed on the weekend, the district nurse came to my flat and changed the dressing there. Again, no charge.

I have a friend back home who broke his arm and 'neglected' to go to the ER until the next day (he was really drunk). As a result, he had to have surgery. He now has an unpaid $38,000.00 medical bill.

As a biaised (non-medical) employee of the NHS I'd impartially observe that the best treatment in the USA is still better than here but it's only accessible to the ones who can pay.

So a better average level of care for everyone with a much lower % spent per $/£ on admin and overheads.

Having quite a few American friends and relatives, and hearing some of their experiences I'm quite happy we have the NHS here, specially with my deafness (hearing aids don't come cheap) and that we have an option to go private if we can afford it.

Please keep this going I am going to need a lot of entries to educate people.

Please keep this going I am going to need a lot of entries to educate people.

Tell you what, I'll PM some of my friends and get their experiences into this.

You can get you boobs done on the NHS.

Tell you what, I'll PM some of my friends and get their experiences into this.

Great! Oops! I meant to say Brilliant!!!

it may not be being run too well right now (i'd guess this is what doctors may say) but as far as the idea goes, from an armchair socialist perspective its the best in the world.

If you want to see a regular GP then the waiting times can be a bit undue, particularly if you have something like the flu (generally untreatable with more than over the counter drugs) and need to get a sick note for work. However, as we don't pay direct then there isn't an expectation of immediate service so it's not a complaining point. Treatment for serious and immediate illness is equally accessible as the US with the advent of the NHS Direct (local cost calling, although telecoms costs shouldn't really be considered in comparison) and walk in clinics, some of which are open 24hrs in high priority areas.

You may not quite get the level of customer service that the US provides, but then again this isn't a commercial endeavour.

The US conservatives put out this notion that it is putting a beauracrat between you and the doctor/treatment. This isn't true, in fact it is less true than in the US. Over here doctors and medical staff operate within predefined guidelines, in the US it is possible to get treatment and then discover that your insurance won't cover it. In our system, the beauracrat is in the right place almost all of the time.

USA has the highest government healthcare expenditure per capita in the world, despite it being a predominately private system.

USA has the highest government health care expenditure per capita in the world, despite it being a predominately private system.

True, 2.3 trillion in 2007 alone. And if you happen to be injured and find yourself in the Ed, the wait can be a whole day 12 hours is not that uncommon. That is whether you have private insurance or not.

If you want to see a regular GP then the waiting times can be a bit undue, particularly if you have something like the flu (generally untreatable with more than over the counter drugs) and need to get a sick note for work. However, as we don't pay direct then there isn't an expectation of immediate service so it's not a complaining point. Treatment for serious and immediate illness is equally accessible as the US with the advent of the NHS Direct (local cost calling, although telecoms costs shouldn't really be considered in comparison) and walk in clinics, some of which are open 24hrs in high priority areas.

You may not quite get the level of customer service that the US provides, but then again this isn't a commercial endeavour.

The US conservatives put out this notion that it is putting a beauracrat between you and the doctor/treatment. This isn't true, in fact it is less true than in the US. Over here doctors and medical staff operate within predefined guidelines, in the US it is possible to get treatment and then discover that your insurance won't cover it. In our system, the beauracrat is in the right place almost all of the time.

When I lived in the US, I had an HMO. Of course, I never bothered to go see my GP for an initial appointment each time I started a new job and got a new health plan. So, whenever I was actually sick, I couldn't go to the GP, because I was a 'new patient' and had to wait weeks for an appointment. So instead I would go to the private walk-in clinic (Solantic is a big chain in Jacksonville). And I would pay $50 out of pocket (it would've been more w/o insurance) plus the $25+ for prescriptions. All that accompanied by a three hour wait.

So I'd have to say my experience with the UK system has been much better. Ironically, the best healthcare I ever received in the US was through the Navy (when I was a child and in University). My dad was a Naval Officer, so we had military healthcare. And it had shorter waits and no cost. And it was a lot like the NHS.

My "yank" friend said this:
Americans already pay more than nationalized healthcare. We pay for our own insurance, and then taxpayers pay for the uninsured (poor people, illegal immigrants, and those who would rather keep the money for other things besides health ins). We have the most expensive "healthplan" in the world right now.

There's already a long wait at the doctors when you ARE insured privately, and you wouldn't lose the option to pay for private insurance, so the loss of profit would still drop, but not to zero.

Me: I personally love the NHS. I've seen some of my friends in US not being able to afford those things, or had plans ruined because they've had to pay out of pocket for something which we here dont pay for
Also I'm attending one of the best hostipals for hearing, and without the NHS, I wouldnt be able to wear the best hearing aids they could offer me at the moment

I had a testicular exploration for cancer three weeks ago (all clear thank fuck), All I can say is that my prior misgivings about the NHS were all wrong. I was seen by one of the top Urologists in the country, who requested to take my case, everyone I spoke to was very caring, knowledgeable, and helpful. The only Issue I had was that several scans were done by supervised students, and had to be redone because of unclear imaging.

My surgeon spoke to me several times before the op, and explained exactly what was going to happen and actually changed the procedure, based on my wishes. Normally the testicle is removed for diagnosis, but i insisted on keeping it in, unless a postive histology/biopsy was returned post exploration.

It was probably the most painful 2 weeks of my life, but I was given adequate aftercare, and support (literally!) The System worked beautifully for me and I never felt like I was just a number. I had to wait less than 3 weeks from Presentation until the operation, and I was only in Hospital for 1 1/2 days.

WIthout going on about it too much, I only have the utmost respect for NHS healthcare professionals, who do a bloody good job, on salaries which are much lower than private, and their attitude and professionalism is wonderful.

And no, I don't know why I randomly Capitalize words.

I am going to post a link yo this thread on a US political message board where people regularly fight about this totally unarmed with knowledge on the topic.
I am part of a medical family, and understand this from an informed prospective. US doctors that I know are behind this.

And no, I don't know why I randomly Capitalize words.

I do shit like that all the time, no worries.

it may not be being run too well right now (i'd guess this is what doctors may say) but as far as the idea goes, from an armchair socialist perspective its the best in the world.

Not a patch on the Soviet Union though.
If you got ill they shot you - no fucking about with "cures" or anything. [/Derekandclive]

I think one of the issues is the general American culture itself. The notion of a communal system is inherently objectionable. Why should one person pay for another. Therefore it is dressed up as not paying for other people, even though you actually do. It is a false system and a false economy. On top of actually paying for the medical care of other people, those without medical insurance are less likely to pursue clear medical advice at the time they notice an ailment. This means that when they finally receive treatment, it ends up costing more.

Another side of it is the employment system as well. The insured will endeavour to get the most time off out of an ailment as they are paying for it and the uninsured will take more time off as they can't afford treatment that may speed up recovery (as per above). The end result is either over resourced or over worked workforces or mandatory workplace health plans, which drive down wages as they come after tax. If the deduction was part of tax, then at least you wouldn't be paying tax on it before it got taken from you. Ultimately, if the amount of money spent on healthcare nationally by the US were taken out as taxation at the point of earning, you would be able to afford a better healthcare system than we have here save for a very small minority of people whose top up insurance for private care wouldn't cost them any more anyway. The only people to pay more would be the poor, who aren't paying at the moment, and they would be better off by not being ill as much.