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Posted 3/28/2009 4:59 PM (GMT 0)
Hi I'm from the UK also,and yes I like having the National Healthcare System,infact I think it is one of the things the UK should be most proud of.(Free at the point of need for everyone)you can't argue with that,
even though it there are problems with it like any big institution,and sometimes it appears to be a bit of a lottery in terms of what region of england you end up in as services are overstretched in big cities and areas of deprivation
To me it is what defines a so called civilized society,free healthcare and education for all citizens,looking after the young elderly and vunerable and sick,if only more of our taxes went that .
Anna

Post Edited By Moderator (Lonielane) : 3/29/2009 1:29:09 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/28/2009 5:06 PM (GMT 0)
sorry forum people I dont know what happened i meant to post on the end of Question about healthcare in the uk
Posted 3/28/2009 10:18 PM (GMT 0)
     I thought it would be good too, but we have friends in Canada who say our system is better.  Personally, I don't think it's gonna fly here because the doctors make too much money.
Posted 3/29/2009 1:10 AM (GMT 0)
If you have friends from Canada who think the U.S. has a better system I can guarantee that they are not middle class and have no financial worries.

For one I thank my god and my country every time I see a doctor , specialist or need a surgery and never receive a bill.
Posted 3/29/2009 3:21 AM (GMT 0)
My brother in law told me that if you move to Canada with a pre-existing condition it's hard to get health care up there.
Posted 3/29/2009 3:32 AM (GMT 0)
Having a pre existing condition would never effect whether you got medical attention ,  you would be treated free of cost ,You would not pay any hospital or doctors visits ,  you may have to pay for medication if you were not covered by employer and did not meet the low income critieria. 
Posted 3/29/2009 4:49 PM (GMT 0)

suse said...
If you have friends from Canada who think the U.S. has a better system I can guarantee that they are not middle class and have no financial worries.

For one I thank my god and my country every time I see a doctor , specialist or need a surgery and never receive a bill.

Well said, yeah if you got a good job with good pay and health insurance oh USA is the best, once they lose their job and join the rest of the people who suffer with massive bills or no coverage or both, it's a different story then.
Posted 3/29/2009 7:21 PM (GMT 0)
I am all for fixing our health care down here in US, it's definitely broken and definitely needs fixing, but nationalized health care is not free. Nothing is free. Taxes are much higher in countries that provide health care -- we'd be paying higher taxes instead of having premiums for insurance taken out of our paychecks. What REALLY needs to be done is making the health system a lot more cost conscious. In the US we pay MUCH more per capita for health care and have much worse outcomes for that money.

Any new plan must decouple insurance from work -- your insurance should not be dependent on being lucky enough to have a employer who provides health insurance. Many people smugly assuming they have adequate insurance quickly learn otherwise if they become too ill to work and lose that insurance when they need it most!

Focus should be more on prevention than it is now, the country is spending so much diabetes care, for example, but most policies won't cover diet and nutrition counseling, which would go a long way toward alleviating many diseases of obesity. At the same time, when people DO get ill, they need to be treated compassionately and taken care of, even skinny people get diabetes. **** just happens sometimes.

But please, remember that health care isn't "free" just because you don't get a bill for it. And doctors don't make "too much money." It costs A LOT in time and money and dedication to be a doctor and those efforts should be rewarded. We literally put our lives in their hands and it's a very important job. What I find objectionable is all the money spent on insurance companies. My GI has to hire a full time person just to handle dealing with the insurance companies! That is certainly money that could be better spent on actual health care and is a huge reason why we pay so much here in the US.
Posted 3/29/2009 8:09 PM (GMT 0)
Good point Meesh, in Canada we definitely pay higher taxes on everything compared to the US but if paying those higher taxes means that we all are privledged to see any doc of our choosing then it's still worth it overall. Nothing is "free" but it does make a difference not having to pay the extra out of your pocket directly like we were for our Alberta Health Care for example, but true, by changing the method that doesn't mean that we won't be "paying" for it through another means....I know in Saskatchewan they've never paid for their health care directly out of their pockets, but they have it built into their property taxes, only thing I don't get about that is what about the people that don't own a house (who would pay property taxes) but instead just rent.

:)
Posted 3/29/2009 8:55 PM (GMT 0)
pb4, the landlord pays the property taxes. It's like here, most states schools are paid with by property taxes. If you rent and have kids, they still go to school, but the owner of the property, your landlord, pays the property tax (part of your rent covers that tax, the landlord determines your rent accordingly to cover his expenses plus a profit).

I definitely would rather pay higher taxes and not have to worry about losing my health insurance if my husband's job situation changes. I am self-employed and have UC, I'd NEVER be able to affordable insurance on my own. Think of what it would do to the economy if people felt more free to start their own businesses without worrying about their health insurance? That would be tremendous!!

I do feel very hopeful about it all for the first time since the early '90s. Obama has already done more than anyone to date. I am already sleeping much better just knowing that if my husband gets laid off we would actually be able to afford COBRA since 65% of it would be picked up by the government. Yes, for a very limited amount of time, and you have to lose your job through no fault of your own (i.e., lay off), but heck, it's a start!!

Meesh
Posted 3/29/2009 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
Part of the problem is that gov regulation requires businesses that higher over a certain number (can't remember that number), to provide health care for employees. That leaves everyone else to try to compete with these big bundles.
I tried to hire someone to build a fence for me a couple years ago during the boom, no one would even come to do a bid. They all had big fencing contracts. One house by itself wasn't worth bothering with. That's how are insurance system is set up, if you want to be competitive you have to be coupled with a large group.
Part of the large fees are related to the cost of education. Another regulation. I like knowing that my docters have been well trained, but 10 years in school costs a lot of money and that's at the bottom of the amount required. Medical schools are often pricier than other Universities. I had a friend that owed $200,000 when she graduated. She then took an internship where she was paid $50,000/yr. That's not a lot to make when you owe $200,000 in loans and then need to pay for living expenses on top of that. Sure, doctors make a lot eventually and that is why people are still going to school to be doctors.
Posted 3/30/2009 1:27 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks Meesh, makes sense about the landlords paying...I know here where we live in alberta canada, whether you have kids or not your property taxes are used to support either the public or the catholic school board, you get to choose the one you want to support and you can't go 50-50 on that, it's either one or the other and it doesn't matter if you have kids or not, every homeowner has to support one of the school boards...kinda off topic but your explanation on the landlord thing made me think of it.

:)
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