The National Health Service

[The Pink Panther]

We get free healthcare........... I'm going to stop my National Insurance contributions then.

They don't want THEIR "tax dollars" paying for healthcare for the less fortunate. Selfish bastards.

There was a very interesting debate on this yesterday on 5Live.
As someone pointed out, if a person wants to contribute to private healthcare why isn't this tax deductable?
Another caller said his wife was taken ill in the U.S and their travel insurance didn't cover them.
Doctors in America have taken the "hippocratic oath" so they cannot and will not refuse anyone medical treatment, although you will be billed.
Anyway this bloke said his wife was in hospital for three days and undertook numerous tests and CT scans. The doctors in America sent him his wife's file so he could present this to his own doctor back in the UK. His own doctor was astounded with what he was presented with. He said that the treatment, tests and results in America that had taken three days to achieve would have taken at least 18 months to perform in the NHS.
How much was he billed?............... £400

 

[Matty]

They don't want THEIR "tax dollars" paying for healthcare for the less fortunate. Selfish bastards.

There was a very interesting debate on this yesterday on 5Live.
As someone pointed out, if a person wants to contribute to private healthcare why isn't this tax deductable?
Another caller said his wife was taken ill in the U.S and their travel insurance didn't cover them.
Doctors in America have taken the "hippocratic oath" so they cannot and will not refuse anyone medical treatment, although you will be billed.
Anyway this bloke said his wife was in hospital for three days and undertook numerous tests and CT scans. The doctors in America sent him his wife's file so he could present this to his own doctor back in the UK. His own doctor was astounded with what he was presented with. He said that the treatment, tests and results in America that had taken three days to achieve would have taken at least 18 months to perform in the NHS.
How much was he billed?............... £400

It's a choice isn't it, you use the NHS and have to "wait your turn" or you go private and get things done quicker, but have to pay.

What if you don't have £400 (or the equivalent amount in dollars), How does that currently work in the US?

 

[tommyducks]

So his insurance didn't cover him for £400 worth of treatment? Not a very good policy.

I think there is a point of principle.

"Society" whether in human terms or the rest of the animal kingdom, means that we (the strong and able bodied) look after the weaker ones (children, old people, the disabled and the sick). Like them we pay our taxes to support this principle - you never know when you might lose your job so this should be a comfort to the vast majority of us. Hopefully you will never get your money's worth from the NHS - i.e. you will live a long healthy life, and not need to recoup your financial outlay.

But in the US God help you if you are living below the breadline and your child has leukaemia.

 

[smiles]

My gf is American, her mother is a judge who deals with welfare claims in the states. There's are thousands, if not millions of American's not getting the treatment they need because they can't afford it. Just one ambulance ride can cost you thousands of dollars.
I think it's a disgrace for the richest country in the world. We are so lucky to have the NHS! For all its faults we can get medical attention when we need it, that crucial operation without being put into debt for years to come.
Its something to be proud of and preserve.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

To strike a note of balance.
The WHO say that the best healthcare system in the world is the French one.
The problem with ours is that due to the false notion that it is free people are not prepared to fund a top quality health system through taxes. Our system is not a world leader in any respect. The US system is one of the best in the world if you can afford it.There are more MRI scanners in detroit than in the whole of the UK for instance. I have personal experience of the inadequacies of the NHS. 18 years ago I was told to take my daughter home to die, the NHS had done all they could for her brain tumour. Luckily we were able to take her to the US for surgical treatment unavailable in the UK. She currently awaits her A level results to see which university she will go to in October.

 

[tommyducks]

To strike a note of balance.
The WHO say that the best healthcare system in the world is the French one.
The problem with ours is that due to the false notion that it is free people are not prepared to fund a top quality health system through taxes. Our system is not a world leader in any respect. The US system is one of the best in the world if you can afford it.There are more MRI scanners in detroit than in the whole of the UK for instance. I have personal experience of the inadequacies of the NHS. 18 years ago I was told to take my daughter home to die, the NHS had done all they could for her brain tumour. Luckily we were able to take her to the US for surgical treatment unavailable in the UK. She currently awaits her A level results to see which university she will go to in October.

I'm delighted for you mate, and God knows the NHS is admin heavy, mismanaged and underfunded. I just think that STARTING from the stance that healthcare will be free at the point of need and funded by taxing all of us according to our means, really is the only civilised way to approach this. The US system being one of the best in the world means nothing to the poor sod who can't afford it.

 

[scall11]

In theory the NHS is a brilliant system, free healthcare for all, with everyone paying their 'subs' in case you need treatment. Fantastic.

However, the theory is great, but the practice is flawed. If they went back to basics and cut out the admin and streamlined it, the NHS could be one of the best healthcare systems in the world.

Another downfall of the NHS is that it's overwhelmed. The reason why operations take so long to do is that there are more people than we can deal with. You can't just build more hospitals as there's no money to pay for it, because a lot of people aren't paying for it in their taxes. If everyone who used the NHS paid the proper amount of taxes, it'd work. Same with the other public services.

It's still a great thing though. Walk into A&E, just give your details, next of kin and you're treated and you walk out without even signing a form to say you're leaving. You just walk out, no bills, no insurance. Brilliant.

 

[tueartsboots]

To strike a note of balance.
The WHO say that the best healthcare system in the world is the French one.
The problem with ours is that due to the false notion that it is free people are not prepared to fund a top quality health system through taxes. Our system is not a world leader in any respect. The US system is one of the best in the world if you can afford it.There are more MRI scanners in detroit than in the whole of the UK for instance. I have personal experience of the inadequacies of the NHS. 18 years ago I was told to take my daughter home to die, the NHS had done all they could for her brain tumour. Luckily we were able to take her to the US for surgical treatment unavailable in the UK. She currently awaits her A level results to see which university she will go to in October.

I'm delighted for you mate, and God knows the NHS is admin heavy, mismanaged and underfunded. I just think that STARTING from the stance that healthcare will be free at the point of need and funded by taxing all of us according to our means, really is the only civilised way to approach this. The US system being one of the best in the world means nothing to the poor sod who can't afford it.

47 million Americans without healthcare insurance ! Beggars belief that people are denied. Glad things worked out for your daughter and good luck to her.

 

[Challenger1978]

I'm delighted for you mate, and God knows the NHS is admin heavy, mismanaged and underfunded. I just think that STARTING from the stance that healthcare will be free at the point of need and funded by taxing all of us according to our means, really is the only civilised way to approach this. The US system being one of the best in the world means nothing to the poor sod who can't afford it.

47 million Americans without healthcare insurance ! Beggars belief that people are denied. Glad things worked out for your daughter and good luck to her.

You've got different levels of insurance aswell a bit like car insurance, so some things your not covered for. Then you've got the whole hassel of claiming as well as insurance companies as we all know at times can be right twats when it comes to paying out.

I can't actually remember the name of the insurance company, but there was one american health care insurance company that turned down all claims as a company policey. So if you tried to claim of them you had to take them to court or some kind of tribunial. Which is pretty fucked up if you have to piss about doing that if you suddenly find out you have a rapidly spreading cancer.

 

[tueartsboots]

47 million Americans without healthcare insurance ! Beggars belief that people are denied. Glad things worked out for your daughter and good luck to her.

You've got different levels of insurance aswell a bit like car insurance, so some things your not covered for. Then you've got the whole hassel of claiming as well as insurance companies as we all know at times can be right twats when it comes to paying out.

I can't actually remember the name of the insurance company, but there was one american health care insurance company that turned down all claims as a company policey. So if you tried to claim of them you had to take them to court or some kind of tribunial. Which is pretty fucked up if you have to piss about doing that if you suddenly find out you have a rapidly spreading cancer.

Apparently the major concern is privacy rights
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