Britian's NHS fares best (in the industrial world) on free access to healthcare, study finds

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Britain is the only country in the industrialised world where wealth does not determine access to healthcare, study finds

Randeep Ramesh Social affairs editor
Thursday November 18 2010 15.26 GMT

The NHS is the only health system in the industrialised world where wealth does not determine access to care – providing the most widely accessible treatments at low cost among rich nations, a key study has found. The survey, by US health thinktank the Commonwealth Fund, showed that while one-third of American adults "went without recommended care, did not see a doctor when sick, or failed to fill prescriptions because of costs", this figure was only 6% in the UK and 5% in Holland.

In all countries except Britain, wealth largely determined access to health, with patients with incomes below the national average more likely to report trouble with medical bills and problems with getting care because of cost.

The survey, of 19,700 patients in 11 nations, found "substantial differences" among countries on access to care when sick, access after hours, and waiting times for specialised care.

About 70% of British patients reported same- or next-day access to doctors when sick, less than the 93% of Swiss adults reporting rapid access. In contrast, however, only 57% of adults in Sweden and the US, and less than half in Canada and Norway, were seen this quickly.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/18/nhs-best-free-access-healthcare

[Boudica the Lyoness]

1. I'm so proud to be British

:)

[DavidDvorkin]

2. Despite inadequate funding for so many years!

Impressive.

Damn those European socialist hells! How can they subject their citizens to such deprivation?

[Joe Chi Minh]

3. Oddly, enough - and I'm not knocking NZ by saying that - in 1938, NZ

was the first country to institute a free, national health service; well, it is described as "the basis for a national health service", but it sounds as if there was no lack of the will to provide the full works.

Here's an interesting article (I'm not trying to wind you up, as it sometimes sounds as if this Welsh doctor's leadership might well be appreciated here in the rest of the UK):

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health-news/2010/11/15/hero-of-welsh-nhs-1-000-lives-campaign-dr-jonathon-gray-is-taking-up-a-similar-post-in-new-zealand-91466-27657256/

[Fool Count]

6. You mean the first capitalist country to institute free, national health service.

USSR had free national health service since 1924.

[Joe Chi Minh]

8. Thank you. I like to know these things.

[Ebadlun]

4. This is the sort of socialist oppression we have to put up with over here

Nice, isn't it?

[happyslug]

5. USA #1, USA #1, look at the charts, the US has the highest numbers in every category!!!!! USA #1

The News release on the Actual Report that the above chart was part of:
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/In-the-Literature/2010/Nov/How-Health-Insurance-Design-Access-Care-Costs.aspx

The actual Report:
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/full/hlthaff.2010.0862?ijkey=Ho

[RainDog]

7. it is RIDICULOUS that the US has the "wealthcare" system that it does

honestly.

and our pols care more about money for healthcare CEOs than they do about sick people in this nation. it's shameful.