I have just read in the local paper that a local lady is having to raise funds for her cancer treatment. I can't believe that Chemo is not covered on Medicare.
I know that many Brits dish the NHS but please it has to be better than Medicare. I hope

At least the NHS charges a "flat" fee for presciptions - around £6??

Here I pay about $34 (~£14) for my script - and it goes up by about $1 every month!!!

£6 in the UK unless your an OAP and then it's free...can't knock that.

And yeah, coverage does vary a lot by where you live in the UK, but generally you get pretty good cover, whilst over here in the US, you could very well be without a paddle...

To get many things on medicare there is a huge wait time, including often for illness where time really matters. Many people end up having to raise the funds privately, we have private insurance, expensive but working in a medical centre I would not chance my health on if and when medicare can see to it :scared: The system is under enormous financial strain as are state hospitals.

I think you pay per item on an NHS prescription, at least you did when we left last year.

per drug yeah, but then you do that in the US too....and it certainly ain't as cheap as £6...especially if you don't have or have shite medical insurance...

And 75% of Brits don't pay at all - kids, pregnant women, pensioners, people on benefits, the unemployed, people with certain chronic illnesses like diabetes...

I figure there are good and bad point about both systems.

In Aus, I get to see a doctor the same day I call for an appointment; but I have to pay. In the UK, I might have had to wait a few days (and before anyone jumps in, I know how long depends on where you are, but this is my story ) but the visit was not charged.

In the UK, I got a flat, per item rate for prescriptions. I did not get charged for contraception. In Aus, 'scripts are usually more expensive, but I do get the choice of brand or generic, meaning I can lower certain costs. I do get charged for contraceptives.

In the UK, I did not have (or need) health insurance. In Aus, I should (but don't) have health insurance; I find it a rip off. Whilst in the UK I got nominal charges for dental visits (as a private patient), in Aus I have spent several thousand dollars on this (wisdom teeth ).

Personally speaking, weighing it all up, I prefer the UK system. A wait is worth not having the financial cost.

GG

AFAIK, in the UK, your GP has to offer you an appointment within 2 days...

afaik if you insist they are required by law to see you on the day but that is kept hush hush

Whenever I've had something urgent, they would see me (or rather the kids!) striaghtaway.

And they still do home visits FFS!!! Unheard of here...

Not to mention health visitor visits for mums with new babies

exactly they have to see you.....the brits really don't know how lucky they are to have the nhs..yep it could be lots better i'm not saying it couldn't but that's another story

That was always my experience (in Sheffield, Newcastle and Oxford). And I liked that they had before and after work appointments - I didn't have to take time off just to get a repeat 'script or whatever. Here, they offer earlier/later appointments, but at a higher cost. So, I take time off work as I don't want to pay extra.

(As an aside, it annoys the hell out of me that they always book me in for a standard appointment, when a brief one would do me fine - take blood pressure, re-prescribe Femodene, I'm outta there. But then that would be cheaper, so they spend time rabbiting on about my general health and what to do if I forget to take a pill, so they can make the appointment last longer to charge more. I really prefer UK health care.)

and contraceptives are free....major pain in the to get over here as well as expensive..

But at least emergency appointments are available every day... even though you have to sit for hours and often come away sicker

This year I have paid out $700 in kids glasses. In the UK they are free but do you get a choice in frames or are they still the thick ones

My daughter also needs dental work to be done and we have been advised by the dentist here to get it done in the UK as it is free and whatever is done here will need to be removed ($1K) and re-done anyway due to different cement's being used. He has advised that we get her on a waiting list now, but can this be done from a parents address or will they wish to see us first

I for one can't wait to be in the UK and know that my holiday saving will not need to be put towards some emergency care for the kids. To think that so far this year we should have spent $2.4K on health for just 2 kids is ridiculous. They are healthy kids too! One just smashed her teeth in the playground and the work is not covered by the school dental. These costs do not even take into account asthma stuff which is also free in the UK.

I know that we could have insurance to cover these costs but when we have looked into it the basic insurance doesn't cover glasses or dental anyway and the others the excess is stupid.