chris955

A few million would always be handy

dunroving

No, I meant "postcode lottery" - it refers to the fact that NHS provision is better in some parts of the UK than others. By "Winning the postcode lottery" I meant living in one of the better NHS areas.

Bud the Wiser

The NHS postcode lottery is possibly the ultimate condemnation of a service that is disjointed. I posted some links on this thread ( post #619 ) that highlight this.

Another concern, especilaly after the Staffordshire hospital debacle..

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/he...den-story.html

and the more recently reported Redditch Alexander hospital report, is the 'Liverpool Care Pathway' which, although wellmeaning, opens itself up to allsorts of accusations of wrongful medical decisions. One example.........


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qSGR9FhsUc

sallysimmons

Rather the problems here than the ones I experienced in America.

chris955

I havent lived in America but from what I understand give me the situation here any day. We have been extremely happy with all our dealings with the NHS to date.

Giantaxe

I certainly would take a supposed NHS "postcode lottery" over the US's "health insurance company lottery".

vikingsail

I agree with that completely.

chris955

Absolutely.

Nyz

Oh I'm so with you on this. I lived in CA for 10 years and it was very expensive. I was covered through work, to cover my family (husband + 2 kids) was $945 a month. That was an 80/20 policy with office visits of $30 etc etc. The worst was having to pay $120 for a 10 drop bottle of antibiotics for my infant daughter's ear infection!

Give me the NHS any day!

chris955

The thing is all we are hearing about in these 48 pages are the negatives instead of the overwhelming positives of the NHS, it is a real shame as there is so little balance.

dunroving

The US doesn't have bad health care (when you can get/afford it, it is generally excellent), it has bad health care provision (too many people can't get/afford it) - I don't see this changing in our lifetime as it is a politically toxic issue. The problem is that it is seen as a business way before it is seen as a service, and big business has too much influence over most politicians.

Regardless of whether people's individual experiences with the NHS have been good or bad, at least everyone has entitlement to whatever health care they need (in theory, NICE guidelines excepted).

vikingsail

But looking at the positive at least the NHS is capable of self review or independent review however good or bad the outcomes may happen be.
Imagine a world where US healthcare companies actually submitted to open honest public scrutiny of the shenanigans that go on in their business systems? IMHO no one really knows what really goes on in their decision making processes we can only guess that fairness, honesty and integrity are the benchmark. Sadly I happen to think not - the almighty $$ rules every healthcare decision in the US.

chris955

Yes, I agree, they dont seem to be accountable to anyone independent.

scot47

The NHS is the bees knees. I say that having lived and worked in many countries. In many parts of the world |Health is a BUSINESS. God forbid that those days will return to us !

Fish n Chips 56

I know many people think America has great medical care, I'm here to say that I doubt its much different from the UK's, I've seen some real Serious Blunders here, I'm talking about things that happened to my Mum, things that never should have happened, a Simple and Obvious misdiagnosis, a major lack of care, mostly from her GP, one instance at a hospital and one in an ambulance, Human Error happens everywhere not just in the UK.

I think people that work in American hospitals are worked very hard and for long hours, I don't think people that are making life and death decisions should work such long shifts, It must be stressful, of course I'm not in the business, I view it from afar.
I've met some very caring and really smart Doctors but I've also met the most heartless with crappy attitudes.

I usually go on about the high cost and lack of healthcare for Millions here, that's only because I think its a serious failing, a disgrace, but there are many other things that go on here in America, we have some real quack doctors, not all Doctors are real Doctors, a GP in a town where I lived got hauled off to jail after years as posing as a real doctor, Others push procedures just to fill their pockets with Money, some get caught, this stuff really happens here.

I know my UK relatives typically never wait more than 15-20 min's to see their GP, I usually wait close to an hour sitting in an examination room waiting to see my GP once I've been checked in, its been like this for decades, One time I had to wait 4 hours in an exam room, American doctors typically don't visit patients at home...

I think the UK's biggest problem is waiting weeks/months for surgery, to my knowledge that doesn't really happen here... I can see why Brit's are frustrated with that, of course some Americans suffer because they are too proud to go for help.

We may pay a high cost for Healthcare but that doesn't mean it gets translated into better care, it costs alot because we are filling the pockets of middlemen, the Insurance companies, they have massive overheads, advertising costs, its a business, they need a profit to keep their investors happy, plus their CEO's get paid Many Millions per year, we also pay a higher cost to cover the cost of those that cant pay, money is involved at every turn in the healthcare industry, all those money handlers need a wage, it doesn't mean the patient gets better care, it just costs more...

Even when I think our system has its problems I'm truly grateful for the care I have received over the years, My Mums experience and mine were completely different...