jen_andreson

I'm glad your experience was positive, as it's good to know that many are still receiving the care they need.

The NHS care was one of our reasons for leaving, due to our previously horrible experiences (and financial outlay to jump queues) as now at least I have more savings and a higher emergency fund on which to call on when we need it. Paying for ops and private care in the UK drained us.

Here we know what we're going to get, and we can at least control it in as much as we picked the plan (and max out of pocket, deductible, etc) that we were comfortable with. I know what it costs me to see a GP and I know that he'll fit me in...and I don't think we'll ever again be told '11 months wait' for a vitally important op.

But, that's a personal thing for me. I always found it harder to deal with a system that made promises and didn't keep them. I prefer being responsible for myself and my family.

snowbunny

Then you don't know anyone who's truly poor, then.

There's a particularly acute crisis right now. Retired people cannot afford to buy all of their prescriptions, so they are having to choose which conditions to treat and which not. So one person might buy the diabetes supplies and drugs, but not be able to afford blood pressure medication.

The richest country in the world ought to be able to provide a safety net for health care. We have universal free education from ages 5-18 (roughly). Why not health care?

Yorkieabroad

So did your private insurance in the UK let you down as well? Thats opening a whole new discussion, as I've never actually heard anyone complaining about BUPA, PPP etc letting them down on either treatment times or costs?

TruBrit

i was with bupa since starting work and never had any probs....also any dealing with NHS have been good esp when Mum and Dad passed away they couldn't have received better care from either their GP or NHS hospital staff...guess we were lucky however i take as i find. the NHS drs now at the local surgeries have to see patients on the day if an emergency.

gardnma

There seems to be a mix of people from England in this country, but I must admit, most of the expats I have met have been quite well off. Mostly University educated and able to flourish here.
Not that I am, of course.....common as muck, me.

If there was MONEY to be made in education, you bet it would be just as mercenary as the health system.

Kate2112

.....and education is not free it is paid for by taxation.

gardnma

True, we had a separate school tax in NY in addition to the property and city taxes.
But for sake of argument lets accept "free" as implying that it is "universally distributed" without any strings attached. We all know that the money comes from somewhere - taxes.
You are correct - nothing is free, I think its a case of rights/privelidge.

dinosaur

Hold on, you're quoting from the Daily Mail...I think my biased paper has more credibility than your biased paper
Well, I still prefer universal healthcare...BUT I think it's very difficult to provide it, due to issues such as people taking advantage (like getting an ambulance from the pub) and determining the breadth of coverage (should a new, expensive treatment be covered).
However, if you have an emergency (you fall, get run over etc), then in the UK the NHS is there and you're not having to worry about getting billed for the ambulance ride, or how long your insurance company will allow you to stay in hospital for (assuming you even have insurance!)

gardnma

Could we please have a quote from the Sun ???

"Here's Ms. Free Health Care, she's 36-24-36 and likes bowling,
Here's Ms. Private Health Ins, she's 36-42-40. Strewth, luv, looks like you've been getting a little roly poly on all those premiums........."

AmerLisa

Ain't that the truth!

jen_andreson

Yes. We had Bupa (via work) but in order to see them we needed a referral from GP, who wouldn't refer (take an aspirin and rest for 2 weeks) and then bupa wouldn't take on husbands treatment.

We paid for him to have an op, as we got held in a queue, 3mth, 6, 11, during which time he couldn't work, etc. Our quality of life dropped dramatically and we finally had to do something...so we paid. And then paid for the follow-up care, paid for meds (private doc meds aren't covered). We had many other sad experiences (birth of my daughter, asthma) that I've already written about.

For us it was rejection by two systems, one that we contributed to (NHS via tax), one that was an employment benefit...and we used savings to pay. We were in London where cost of living was high enough, and we never thought medical bills needed to be worked into our budget.

However, I do think a univeral system is the way to go. As I've written, I have campaigned for it and want to see it happen...but if the UK can't manage it then how can the US?

I see that the small systems in place in the US are already struggling (Bob's example of ME).

jen_andreson

Okay, I'll give ya that. But, it was on BBC news (radio), too, so I looked it up to find out more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5216182.stm

jen_andreson

I sure do know someone who is truly poor--on medicaid and all bills paid for. That's why I was asking about medicaid (a few days ago).

Don't get me wrong, I am not praising the US system as I've said many times that it needs serious work (see my wish list I started). What I am saying is that I've seen and experienced the same problems in the UK...where there is a plan to look after people.

At least here I know what to expect and I've altered my life around that system.

TruBrit

[QUOTE=jen_andreson]Yes. We had Bupa (via work) but in order to see them we needed a referral from GP, who wouldn't refer (take an aspirin and rest for 2 weeks) and then bupa wouldn't take on husbands treatment.
QUOTE]


sorry to hear all your troubles with the medical profession....i guess i don't understand about your GP not referring you...if you paid your bupa and your GP couldn't sort you out then you tell him you want a referral..it's your life and you've paid to go privately...i was with bupa for yrs and never had a problem getting my dr to refer me....it would take 2/3 days and i would have my surgery fax the referral letter to the bupa specialist's secretary.....no probs

jen_andreson

[QUOTE=TruBrit] Thank you. It had something to do with the bupa plan that hubby had at work, as it required these referrals to get it started, etc. If we had known there were different levels of bupa care then we would have opened and paid for a policy ourselves...but we never thought we would need it.

lesson learnt, and we know that it was our choice to pay and jump the queue, but we felt like we had no other choice.