NC Penguin

Aside from what I've read on BE during the years I've been a member, one of the earliest things I learned about the US was the state of American healthcare. I get the impression from your post that the problems relating to American healthcare are news to you. Just because Oprah's "on the case", it doesn't make the subject matter a revelation.

jumping doris

We have had reasonably prompt treatment, but not first class. The hospitals here (locally to me) are old and not very clean and I was surprised as I expected so much more.
My daughter was being treated for something which needed her to see a specialist every few months and one day the insurance company refused to pay as they decided the treatment was unneccesary.
We argued and they changed their mind.
It left me cold that some faceless person could decide my child didn't need the treatment a professor of pediatrics had prescribed.

NC Penguin

Your insurance company didn't want to stump up their share to pay for treatment and after you appealed, the outcome was in your favor. There's not always agreement between medical professionals and health insurance companies and the patient/patient's family can get caught in the middle.

Sally

So why was she put through this?

Jerseygirl

Because they try it on...if you don't pursue and complain the are $$'s in.

I remember when we first came here the insurance company payment would always be $10 to $15 short...leaving us to pick up the tab. After half a dozen phone calls which seemed to take hours it was resolved. I can't help thinking they do it on purpose in the hope people will give up. If they do that for every claim just think how much money they are making.

Sally

Yes indeed.

guyb

Not living in the states - how does the argument against "socialized medicine" go?

another bloody yank

Well, my argument is that if the Gov't has a hand in it, it will be crap. I don't think I need to provide examples of Gov't bureaucracy gone insane to most of you here. I realize something must be done, I'm just sorry we can't make the system we have now more affordable, with some provision for the indigent.

But as I said earlier, in ten years time or less, British expats in the US will be bitching about the US NHS instead of the lack therof.

Silly Sod

I son't get it. I was listening to a phone in on WMR the other day and the question on everybodys lips was this - who is going to fund a social health care system? The employer? The government? And I thought - why not everybody, like we do in the UK? Simple - or is it me that is simple? Who knows.

One lady phoned in, and I thought it was a pretty messed up attitude - she was saying that as the baby boomers retire it is going to fall to the next generation to support their health care which - according to her - is unfair and 'immoral'. Why should we have to pay for them. What a bitch!!! I couldn't help thinking - is this the only country in the world where the old and infirm are reviled rather than revered? I was brought up to believe that we owe the aged generation above us respect and care. It seems that some people in the US think that if it is going to cost a few bob we should just drag them out of the teepee into the snow and leave them there until they cark it.

jumping doris

Exactly.
But I don't give up and I am articulate (most of the time). So I fired off emails, made telephone calls and they relented. They didn't have much of an argument because they had paid before for the same thing and it was made clear then that it would be an ongoing treatment.
But what about the people who give up more easily or who are more intimidated by things like this?

Jerseygirl

I don't give up either but I bet there are many that do...making a nice extra little profit for the insurance companies.

I wonder if you pursue it like I did the insurance companies stop this practice after a while...'cos after the first couple of years we had no further problems.

another bloody yank

To be honest, I'm not that worried about the cost of an NHS. I already pay an insane amount for healthcare, under an NHS all that would change is the name on that deduction line on my paycheck. I'm more worried about the drop in the quality of care and the poor administration of the system.

Hiro11

I've never quite understood why people on this site are convinced that Americans are somehow ignorant of the various healthcare system options. Socialized (or whatever you want to call it) medicine vs. private (or whatever you want to call) medicine has been one of if not the top domestic policy issue for at least the past three decades. It's the source of constant political speeches, countless editorials and has been a rallying cry for both sides of the aisle basically forever. Americans understand that there are alternatives and completely appreciate that the current system is seriously flawed. Michael Moore's premise seemed to be "Americans think they have a perfect healthcare system, I'll show them how they're wrong", but I think the vast majority of already understand the system doesn't work.

jumping doris

I only know that some of the people we have met here, locally are unaware of the positive aspects of other systems.
Several of my friends have assumed that we must be very pleased to live in a country with such fantastic healthcare and they have been very surprised when we have said we find it worse here.

They have believed some of the following:
No cancer treatment in the UK.
A wait of many years for cancer treatment.
No medical research.
No care for old people at all.
No modern treatments.
Very dirty hospitals.
Massive taxes to pay for everything.

Having used both systems I know which I prefer. So many people here haven't used both and rely on hearsay.

fatbrit

Most Americans I meet don't understand at all. They have been subjected to a decade or more of constant propaganda paid for by those who wish the status quo to remain. Their opinions, I find, are usually based on total ignorance.