Hi 360 :ysmile:
I'm not quite sure what you mean by a 'political flame war'...I certainly wouldn't want to get into an argument that 'mine's better than yours' or anything like that, since I don't really know enough about the US medical system to really judge, only know what I've read on here, which made me feel very grateful for our NHS, imperfect though it surely is! I'm quite intrigued to know why you don't support socialised medicine? I guess having grown up with the knowledge that if I'm ill I don't need to worry about not being able to pay for treatment makes me view any other health system with suspicion - the idea of having to even consider declaring oneself bankrupt due to huge medical bills fills me with absolute horror, I confess! But obviously such a system must have its good points too, right?
It's interesting though, that the British dental system seems to be moving away from being NHS funded - more and more dentists (orthodontists I think you call them?) are 'going private'. And we certainly seem to get better treatment from the private sector than those funded by the NHS (though it does seem to vary - my husband had a brilliant NHS dentist until we moved house, near where he worked). It's quite hard to find an NHS dentist now, though, so many have gone private: my family and I eventually signed up with a private practice rather than travel miles to the nearest NHS practice; and it is definitely a generally better service than most of the NHS ones we have visited in the past (if about a quarter again as expensive as NHS treatment). Unlike general NHS healthcare, here one must pay for NHS dental treatment (it's only 'free' to under-eighteens or pensioners), but it's cheaper because the costs are subsidised by the NHS, which of course means that the dentists tend to go for cheaper materials and so on (as it has seemed to me anyway). I was told by someone married to an NHS dentist that it was becoming harder and harder to make a living from purely NHS patients, and many of his colleagues had given up the struggle and gone private in order to earn a decent wage.
The only part of NHS healthcare that isn't totally 'free' is prescription medication (although even the word 'free' is a misnomer-if you work, you pay a National Insurance fee which is taken out of your wages by your employer and paid to the government, which covers any hospital treatment you may need. If you are unemployed or on disability benefit the government pays it for you...) If you're in hospital, whatever medication you are given there is not chargeable; otherwise there is a standard prescription charge (£7.40 at the present time) per item which if you need a lot of medication on a regular basis, can be costly! The fee may be more or less than the actual cost of the drug - a good pharmacist will tell you if you can get it cheaper off the shelf!) I have long felt that medication for conditions like UC should be free (they aren't, last I heard) - I think the criteria for this is that the condition has to be life-threatening. I'm not quite sure what my prognosis might be if I were to stop taking my medication but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be too good...!!!
Sorry for the long rambly post - and just to be clear, I'm not trying to say that our system is better than yours (although going on what I know I prefer ours, just my opinion!) rather I'm sharing info because I'm curious to know how your system operates (admit that I may not fully understand it!) in comparison to ours - it's interesting to see the differences and what they mean for people in our situation! :ysmile:
I meant no disrespect to you, mate. I added the "flame war" comment just to ward off any others who might get the idea to take my comment and run with it, thus derailing this thread.
I have friends and family in Germany, and they have a similar system as you. After seeing how the system works in the US, their admissions sound just like yours. While our privatized system has major faults (ie. high premiums, denial of services, high RX costs), in my opinion those things are worth it so that I may have the choice of which physician I want to see.
Often the longest we have to wait may be a few weeks to see a specialist. There is always the high-priced emergency room if needed. Family physicians are often not even needed in the loop when you have a chronic condition. It would be awful to have to drive many miles to see a specialist (although that can happen here too I guess) because there might not be one nearby.
I am fortunate to live in an area where there are world-renowned physicians, and I pretty much have the cream-of-the-crop to choose from. Being near a university that is highly regarded in the medical field (Indiana University) and Northwestern University 400 miles to the north, we have a plethora of doctors to choose from.
The main problem is the dressing that goes along with seeing private practice. So many physicians are so concerned about malpractice suits, and legal action, that many will not provide you the "help" you need to get around the insurance companies, who pretty much control the money part of it all. It's all a big racket. This is the part that needs repaired in the US. Social medicine will give you treatment, but it will likely be minimal, and you'll have to wait a LONG time to get that.
As I said earlier, I am one of the unfortunate to have a chronic disease. This means I will require treatment for the rest of my life. If I don't have insurance, it puts me in a quandary, much like some here have posted about. Nobody wants to go in the hole because of something they cannot help. However, we also have a whole other playing field in America.
It's called welfare and disability. And it's MUCH too easy for some people who don't REALLY need it, to get. And much too difficult for the ones who actually DO need it, to get.
The liberal portion of the USA (and likely others too) feels that it is the duty of everyone who actually works for a living to pay into a system to help the "less fortunate". I am the less fortunate. It is not my choice to not work. I physically cannot do some types of jobs. But I CAN do others, and it is my responsibility to try and carry my weight when possible. With the social system in place, it merely allows for people to become lazy and dependent on government assistance. Sure, I believe it's ok to help someone get back on their feet, but it should be temporary, and it should be to HELP them get back into the productive portion of the population. Not enable people to sit at home in subsidized housing, having a child every 12 months, tax breaks because of said children, and often drug abuse which often goes hand-in-hand with said scenario.
Our society has become a nation of "what can you do for me", instead of what can I do to help pull my weight. These people have figured out that it pays better to be on welfare than it does to actually spend 40 hours of their week at a job, EARNING their keep instead of just going to the mailbox on the 3rd of every month.
Socialized medicine will only be the icing on this cake I just baked for you.
I understand it can benefit people, including myself in a time of crisis, but it should NEVER be allowed to be used as a full-time option for lazy people.
The following videos are not an attempt to bash the Presidency, but to show the mentality of much of the uneducated population of the USA. This is what people expect from our government. This is what government medicine, welfare, and all other social programs have caused.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P36x8rTb3jI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOZ-Etb0k0Q
why did you get fired? Will you be entitled to any benefits while you're out of work?
