jen_andreson

And you should! But don't you then consider that a plus to the US system? The very system you said you might have died from? I was just surprised that on one hand you were so critical and then you also praised it.

I'd say your experience illustrates perfectly the pluses of each system.

Partystar

Yep, it's still in operation & I shall go back to working with them when we return in a few years.

It was Oxfordshire.

Partystar

I don't like the American system, that's just my personal opinion, but I shall use what I have paid good money for. Plus, I don't really have the option to use an NHS type service here, so I have to use what they provide, which is expensive private medical care.

jen_andreson

That's excellent. Too bad it can't be rolled out across a broader area...we really could have benefited from this.

What a wonderful job to go back to--you must be looking forward to that!

Cape Blue

Most recent graph I cam find on the reduction in waiting lists is the third one at the bottom of the page - you need to click on it.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programme...ma/4278299.stm

jen_andreson

Makes sense. I didn't mean to sound so harsh earlier--I do apologise if the tone seemed that way.

I go bouncing back-and-forth on this issue so much! I don't prefer the US system as a whole, but it works for us and is so much better than what we had in the UK (London postcode system was not good to us). But, the UK system can work for many and I think it's easy to make corrections to restore it. As I said earlier...I hope the UK system gets sorted eventually as we plan to move back!

Partystar

I certainly am, I was so happy there.

I think the whole of England is supposed to keep to those guidelines, as I was told they were set by the government, not our trust, they always referred to them as the 'government guidelines'. I shall have to do a search. Of course it could be that other trusts weren't making the cut, which could sadly be the case.

jen_andreson

There was a new report a few weeks ago and the figs were grim...most targets missed and waits up. It has sparked a debate about asking people to pay for more treatment, while also eliminating car-parking (as much as £30 a day) and telephone charges (.49p a minute for patients to receive calls) to give some patients a break. At issue is that some illnesses come with certain benefits such as free meds, and others do not (diabetes is a yes, cystic fibrosis and asthma are no's). So, the question is what changes to make...I think that will take ages to agree.

jen_andreson

Our friend has had quite the opposite experience, but it's good to know it's not the norm. But, at least at works for some (hopefully most).

Still, something for this particular team to be proud of!

Partystar

No problemo, just stating my case, I do get very defensive on the whole NHS thing, I worked so damned hard over the 6 years that I worked for them, making our trust better & boy did we do a good job. It's just a shame that it comes down to where you live as to how good/bad the service is, it truly is a shame.

Cape Blue

I saw the car parking arguments - several on the BBC's "have your say" board were talking about their kidney replacements and other treatments which cost 10's of thousands of pounds and were complaining about paying 1.50 every 2 weeks for their check-up visits. Priceless

Bob

It happens though...where we lived before, to see the doc, would have to wait 2-3 weeks for an appointment, and we were paying stacks for insurance and co-pays...and if it were an emergency, we were told to either suck it up or go to the ER if it really were a problem...

Bob

have to say, was lucky living in Oxford, the JR might be a bit ugly, the sarnies crap, but the health care was superb and especially across the road at the bones place....but parking, that sure wasn't cheap..not that it was anywhere in the city, but could see how that would be a mare for people that would have to go visit relatives every day....but they have to get money somewhere I guess to supplement things.

Giantaxe

If the resources are used wisely, which I doubt is the case. Most common measures of healthcare outcomes don't exactly show the US ina very flattering light, despite the high expenditures. In fact the US spends almost as much in healthcare administration as the UK does in total.

Additionally, tying health insurance to employment is insane both for employers and employees. If an employer offers the benefit, they have to pay the premiums regardless of their profit level: at least with a tax-funded system, there is some relationship to ability to pay. The net result is that companies such as GM are getting killed by healthcare costs at a time when their profits have evaporated. Of course, they could stop paying for it which, essentially, is the way I see it playing out over time. As for employees, get sick lose your job and viola your employer-subsized insurance goes away (or you have to pay the entire premium yourself). Small wonder that health related expenses are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the US.

AmerLisa

If you had a sick baby, you wouldn't be told to wait 3 weeks, Bob. And I'm sure most parents wouldn't be silly enough to take that sitting down. Not sure what happened with your doctor, if it was me, I'd move to a new doctor's office, pronto. Even my physician's office will see me on the same day, not necessarily with the same doctor, but on the same day. And btw, the same was true for our UK physician, again not necessarily our own GP, but if my child was sick or we were sick, we were in right away.