American's take on British medical services.

[AnomalyLady]

If your employer is contributing to an insurance company on your behalf and you can do nothing about it, you would be better off doing exactly the same thing at a lower cost.

My employer is not "contributing" to an insurance company. They are purchasing health insurance on my behalf.

Or do you get a glow of satisfaction when your deductions are reassuringly high.

Deductions of what?

OP was referring to health insurance that one is mandated to pay into by the way.

 

[CambridgeBi]

Countries with socialized medicine get better results than those of the US health system for less money per capita.

You have to take care when comparing the cost of the NHS to other services as many NHS workers retire on luxury pensions which are also paid for by the UK tax payer but that's not accounted for as being part of the cost of the NHS when in reality it should be, particularly if you're going to compare with services in the private sector where employees would have to make their own pension provision.

The UK healthcare system has zero choices with minimal options. Say you need a new liver, well, you get put on a list. Then you have to wait and wait, as you have a scarcity of skilled doctors.

The wait is for a liver that matches, the moment you have that the doctors will be available. The one thing the NHS does reasonably well at is the emergency stuff.

Universal healthcare in other developed nations covers all problems, minor and major. <--- if you live long enough to see a doctor

There is some truth to this although ironically GPs are not directly employed by the NHS, they are private sector workers who provide services to the NHS.

Here's the gig... GPs are paid according to the number of patients on their books whether they actually see them or not. It can be damn hard to get a GP appointment, they seem to go out of their way to make it so, and in the UK they have to be the first port of call. For instance if you need to see a dermatologist you can't just make an appointment directly, you need a referral from your GP.

The current government are keen on introducing a system where patients can book GP appointments online but GPs are pushing back hard, they much prefer to be paid for not seeing the patients on their books.

Medical bankruptcy does not exist in the UK.

The whole country is bankrupt rather than individuals and that's in no small part due to how much the obesity crisis costs the NHS and unaffordable public sector pensions.

 

[SebastianHolt]

You have to take care when comparing the cost of the NHS to other services as many NHS workers retire on luxury pensions which are also paid for by the UK tax payer but that's not accounted for as being part of the cost of the NHS when in reality it should be, particularly if you're going to compare with services in the private sector where employees would have to make their own pension provision.


The wait is for a liver that matches, the moment you have that the doctors will be available. The one thing the NHS does reasonably well at is the emergency stuff.


There is some truth to this although ironically GPs are not directly employed by the NHS, they are private sector workers who provide services to the NHS.

Here's the gig... GPs are paid according to the number of patients on their books whether they actually see them or not. It can be damn hard to get a GP appointment, they seem to go out of their way to make it so, and in the UK they have to be the first port of call. For instance if you need to see a dermatologist you can't just make an appointment directly, you need a referral from your GP.

The current government are keen on introducing a system where patients can book GP appointments online but GPs are pushing back hard, they much prefer to be paid for not seeing the patients on their books.


The whole country is bankrupt rather than individuals and that's in no small part due to how much the obesity crisis costs the NHS and unaffordable public sector pensions.

For those who work, the American system is far superior. you don't wait and can do whatever you want just as quickly as you want.

If I wanted to see a "dermatologist," I'd call one up. no need to call my primary. climb up the health insurance food chain and the need for referrals go away

 

[Bray123]

The whole country is bankrupt rather than individuals and that's in no small part due to how much the obesity crisis costs the NHS and unaffordable public sector pensions.

The point is that in the US people sometimes have to pay for their medical bills and are thus driven into bankruptcy. Frequently patients will refuse treatment because death is an option that saves their family from impossible debt. This dilemma does not exist in the UK.

 

[SebastianHolt]

The point is that in the US people sometimes have to pay for their medical bills and are thus driven into bankruptcy. Frequently patients will refuse treatment because death is an option that saves their family from impossible debt. This dilemma does not exist in the UK.

this is why its up to the person...one has to take control of his or her education to make sure you have the skills necessary to draw in < $300k per yer. for health insurance to be part of your "package" and to build up a nest egg for emergencies

 

[CambridgeBi]

take control of his or her education to make sure you have the skills necessary to draw in < $300k per yer

I assume you mean greater than $300k which AI informs me is only 2% of US workers.

 

[SebastianHolt]

I assume you mean greater than $300k which AI informs me is only 2% of US workers.

Yikes, wow! People need to get busy and educated themselves. Middle management is about to get decimated (ie some 100,000 people are about to get terminated)

 

[CambridgeBi]

make sure you have the skills necessary to draw in < $300k per yer

get busy and educated themselves

I'm guessing you didn't study maths or English?

 

[JohnEngelman]

The whole country is bankrupt rather than individuals and that's in no small part due to how much the obesity crisis costs the NHS and unaffordable public sector pensions.

The United States is bankrupt because of Republican tax cuts for the rich.

 

[HisArpy]

I'm guessing you didn't study maths or English?

I'm guessing that, once again, you don't have a counter-opinion so you went with the Ad Hom attack.

 

[CambridgeBi]

The United States is bankrupt because of Republican tax cuts for the rich.

Tax them too much and they leave as the UK government has discovered. The top 1% of earners paid 30% of income tax and now they're buggering off to Dubai which makes the public sector's uncontrolled money-spaffing even more of a disaster.

 

[JohnEngelman]

Tax them too much and they leave as the UK government has discovered. The top 1% of earners paid 30% of income tax and now they're buggering off to Dubai which makes the public sector's uncontrolled money-spaffing even more of a disaster.

If they leave they should be requited to leave their money here.

 

[SebastianHolt]

I'm guessing you didn't study maths or English?

I was just moving too fast. when I multitask, the mistakes proliferate

 

[MajorRewrite]

Tax them too much and they leave as the UK government has discovered. The top 1% of earners paid 30% of income tax and now they're buggering off to Dubai which makes the public sector's uncontrolled money-spaffing even more of a disaster.

That’s actually not what happens. The rich always pretend they’re going to flee, but only a tiny percentage ever do.

 

[SebastianHolt]

That’s actually not what happens. The rich always pretend they’re going to flee, but only a tiny percentage ever do.

I think the % is larger than you want to believe. I've fled CA