Jerseygirl

You still have to be referred by a GP...or at least you did when I lived there. You are right private or BUPA is an option.

Canveydave

I am a month in to our relocation from the UK to Houston (specifically Katy). So far I have the following observations.

1.) I live in a house that is 3 times the size of the house I lived in in the UK, for the same price as I am renting my house in the UK out for. I have a swimming pool, I have land, my eldest child's pre school is 100 yards from my front door.

2.) As I look out of my office right now there is barely a cloud in the sky I went for a walk at lunch and I didn't have to wear my suit jacket. At home it is -4

3.) I drive and own a Hummer. In the UK I had a Vauxhall Meriva. Even though it is not an uncommon car here in Texas I feel like a king driving it!

4.) I can drive to work in 30 minutes. Back in the UK I had a 2 hour commute each way, into a city I hated (London). Barely ever got a seat on the train and when the trains had issues (Weekly) I was stuck in London until 11 o'clock at night.

5.) Most importantly, I am home at 5.30pm every night except Friday, when I am home by 12.30pm. My son and I have been able to read together for the first time, because I was home at a decent hour. I have managed to spend my time at weekends doing things with them, going to museums and parks. Granted London has the greatest selection of museums in the world, but the last thing I want to do when I have been there all week is go back into London on a Saturday.

I miss people from home, but Skype, Facetime and an excellent package with Cricket Wireless means that I speak to people at home as much as I did anyway, I just can't pop in to see my elderly grandparents anymore.

I appreciate I am still in the honeymoon period, but as long as I continue to have a much more financially stable life and more importantly am able to have the time to read to my children every night, the choice I made in coming here was the right one. I honestly think in the two weeks my family have been here I have seen more of my children than I did in the last 6 months we were in the UK.

Bob

True, but originally you said:

Which is conveying that the whole system is better in one country over the other, which isn't true.

Your personal care is and that's fair enough and you said that in the post before this one, but it was not the one I was replying to, when you didn't.

kins

Being on a waiting list for gallbladder removal for months, but repeatedly being bumped, is really not what anyone would call watchful waiting, but among my friends it has been the typical treatment.

N1cky

Why on earth would you want elective surgery without seeing a GP first?

With our insurance, we still have to see a GP first. I've been trying to get my daughter PT, after she's sprained her ankle yet again. Despite having insurance that covers unlimited PT, we first have to have a referral. The doctor refused to refer her without seeing her first, I insisted that we saw someone else who has a background in sports injuries. We went this morning, after asking a few questions, and before looking at her ankle, he said "have you had any PT?" No, that's what we are trying to do, but you insisted you must see her first...

BEVS

As there seems to be a bit about gallbladders, I'll chuck my friend's experience into the ring.

As you know we are in New Zealand.

For the past two years she has been under the impression, via the GP , that she was gluten and dairy intolerant.
Turned out she was not. What she was growing were whacking great gall bladder stones.

Following a very painful episode she went on the wiating list for the gall bladder to be removed. She thought that would be done quickly. As in a month or so. She was wrong. She then realised about the 'point' system here in NZ. Her wait just to see a consultant would be 4/5 months. Per protocols it has to be within 4/5 months. So. She paid to see him privately. After that she thought the wait fo the op would be a month or so. Wrong again. Same consultant innit and she was still on the public list. A further 4 months of waiting , where she was bumped off and sent home without surgery 4 times, she finally achieved the loss of her gallbladder on Christmas Eve.

She has had excellent care. Just not as timely as she hoped. There again, per the points system there were others in front of her with more urgent need.

Pulaski

If you have a problem with a joint why go to see a GP who is going to tell you that you need to see an orthopedic surgeon? It would barely make any more sense than having to see your GP before you go to the dentist! ....... I agree though, for random internal pains or issues.

Bob

Because there could be a load of other factors causing the issues and surgery might not be the remedy needed...WebMD has just turned everyone into a bunch of hypochondriacs I guess.

Pulaski

Agreed. I should have said orthopedic specialist. A professional shouldn't start wielding a knife based merely on a self referral. ...... And bear in mind that with no "sick time" and limited vacation time most people don't want unnecessary trips to a GP. ..... And I agree most first contact re any new complaint or condition should be with a GP.

lansbury

I think it was a fair comment by me. I don't believe a hospital in the US where a person has been an inpatient for 5 days during which time they have had at least one daily, and some days more than one attack of crippling pain that had to be treated by the administration of morphine would have sent them home without curing the problem.

Most certainly they would not have sent him home telling him he needs his gall bladder removed and here is an appointment in 18 weeks time to see a consultant to arrange to have it done. My belief is in the US it would have been removed that week before he was sent home.

If that conveys to you in this circumstance I was saying the NHS is a pile of excrement and the US system far better I was. But I wasn't saying anything about the whole system in every instance, I even mentioned his gall bladder. I do not believe a US hospital would have sent him home having diagnosed the problem, without treating it.

Bob

Which is a fine belief, but isn't always the case for the reasons I've already said. It depends on your location as well as your insurance.

Even have the opposite experience to you with a family member. Lack of quick treatment in that case was more down to location than quality of insurance but the follow up care and complications was more down to insurance.

lansbury

Really you think a US hospital would send a person home who needs morphine for pain treatment, when they know the cure but refuse to give the treatment. Or for that matter prescribe the required pain medication. It boarders on malpractice and I don't see a US hospital doing it. Location or insurance do not come into it, especially as they had already been admitted to hospital.

As I said in all the circumstances that effected my family in this instance the treatment received from the NHS bears no comparison to that received in the US system. But I recognise that is a very small sample of both systems and doesn't hold as an example for either as a whole. But it does go towards answering the question why I think my life is better here. I most certainly didn't claim as a whole one was better than the other. As Pulaski said in an earlier post it is getting to point where some get defensive if anything positive is said about the US in these forums.

Bob

They only need to stabilise you, they don't need to treat you beyond that and yes, that is what happened.

It wasn't life threatening and told to come back at another date and see PCP in between.

And you don't have to get defensive. The care and experiences are what they are and if they're good for you, that's all that matters.

But stating that one's experience is universal just isn't true and that's kind of the point. People have had good and bad experiences of both systems.

Pulaski

Calm down you two, calm down!

YouWantFriesWithThat

Boxing injuries are not covered on the NHS, nor on any USA insurance plan I know of!