LINK 'The bills were more stressful than the cancer': US versus UK healthcare – a personal story
You could say that this is just a personal story, but I read it with great interest. The members in the UK and the members in the US can verify the credibility of the story. (I've always wondered why the US is the only country with no national healthcare system among the developed countries...)
4
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.I do hope some American members here, read and take note of this post. I was berated last night by someone for having the temerity to criticise and comment on a post regarding the high costs incurred in the USA healthcare system...purely because I am British. It was a post which she herself decided to put up, because she thought the costs were too high, but apparently it was ok for only US citizens to agree, but not for me, a UK citizen (a foreigner) to sympathise and add my views on the obscenity of health being subject to market forces in the USA. I am not proud of everything that Britain stands for, and indeed I am very critical of our inglorious colonial past, but there is one thing that we stand head and shoulders above most other countries in...and that is our magnificent NHS. Yes, we sometimes have to wait for routine procedures...but if we have anything critical or requiring immediate admission to hospital it is there, and FREE at the point of need...and with no questions asked. We pay through our taxation when we are of working age and it is taken from our earnings at source, so even though I myself have rarely had to use the NHS, and now I’m retired, no longer have to pay National Insurance, I have the security of knowing that should I need it, it will be there for me until the day I die. I salute the Labour government who introduced it into the U.K. in 1947, and give thanks that I will never have the worry of whether or not I will be covered by my insurance should I ever fall ill.
Marionville
Level 10
Mar 22, 2020
4
Totally agree, and find that in the USA non-emergency Anything (doctor visit elective surgery, even needed surgery) usually takes 6 weeks r so to happen, for example my knee replacement(s). 4 weeks for appointment, 6 weeks to surgery. The second replacement on the same knee was rushed, just 3 weeks, because apparently when the glue fails gangrene sets in.
@Jetty She told me off and when I said I understood that it was off limits to me...she removed the post!
@AnneWimsey I'm waiting for approval for my fistula (dialysis access port). Apparently having my blood toxic to the point that I sleep around 18 hours a day isn't an emergency.
Your criticism is needed and welcomed.
What we need is for congress to quit playing politics with the issue and come together with a real solution.
@WilliamFleming Thank you, I was somewhat surprised by the reaction I got, I thought it would open up a discussion on the various different health care systems other countries employ, but it only incurred indignation and defence of the US system!
@Jetty a might touchy I think!
@Marionville She was funneling it down to the answers she wanted to hear
I know when I was diagnosed with leukemia, I was totally stressed out about not being able to afford to pay for treatment. So, yeah, the bills are more stressful than the cancer. (I have been cancer free for over 6 years now).
snytiger6
Level 9
Mar 22, 2020
1
I do hope you remain cancer free.
looking for someone to explain how "for profit" healthcare is cheaper then "not for profit" healthcare. It is why Americans pay more for healthcare and medicine then the people of any other developed country.
Leetx
Level 7
Mar 22, 2020
3
It’s because the normal laws of supply and demand are circumvented, creating a monopoly for providers. That monopoly needs to be broken up pronto or there’ll be total collapse.
I have made career decisions my whole working life based on making sure that I had adequate health care insurance. Both of my children were asthmatic and I am glad for that reason of my decision. It also provides me with peace of mind that I will have access to that same quality health care without fear of bankruptcy.
I often wanted to work in a more creative environment that did not support the military industrial complex. I never took that chance.
Lorajay
Level 9
Mar 22, 2020
3
Yeah I think it's been proven that our Health Insurance System is a drag on the economy as it keeps people in jobs they'd rather not do, and away from work they could excel in
If it weren’t for the VA I might be living in a tent right now, or more likely, be dead.
Something has to be done. Quit playing political games and act.
WilliamFleming
Level 8
Mar 22, 2020
3
I don't understand the inaction. I'm not necessarily for Medicare for All. But since no alternatives are being brought up ( ACA....just another mess), something needs to give.
I really think that there is only one in between solution, between what we have now and Medicare for All: buy additional insurance and procedures in the marketplace if you want it, along with Government HealthCare for the rest of us
I don't expect anything to change. Seems like the power position is to just run out the clock
@twill I don’t know the best solution. But the free market is not working and it’s for lack of competitive pricing. I don’t think more insurance will do anything but make the problem worse.
Nationalize if need be, or the two tier system you suggest is an option also. That way basic freedoms are preserved while everyone gets some basic level of care.
Just do something—the alternative is total collapse.
Leading cause of bankruptcy in the USA is overwhelming medical debt. Get sick. Lose Everything.
AnneWimsey
Level 9
Mar 22, 2020
4
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