A socialized medicine experience.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

My American born son is going University in England for a year. He called me 4:30am Saturday his time, to tell me he was very ill. He had vomiting, diarrhea, fever and pain.

I told him to call the NHS (National Health Service), which he did and the NHS lady told him a doctor would call him shortly and if necessary come and see him at home. She also informed him that if he needed to go to the hospital the doctor would drive him there! A few moments later a doctor called and listen carefully to my son's symptoms and he informed my son that he had the 24 hour flu virus and lots of people had it where he was at. He gave him advice how to make himself feel better. I was on the west coast of the US and felt very relieved it was just the flu and it turns out that most of the students my son knows is getting it.

This is the second time he has used the services of the NHS and is very pleased with it. The first time he hurt his back and walked into the doctors office and was seen in 10 minuets! They don't bill you and they don't ask you for your insurance card and they sure don't treat you like trash like they do here. They care!

On the other hand, here in America I see a doctor every three months for a chronic rare condition I have. I have to wait at least 30 minutes in the waiting room and then spend 15 minutes with a girl who just asks me a lot of silly questions. I can't ask her any questions of her because she's a twit. I then wait another 20 minutes for the doctor to make his appearance. He acts like he's God Almighty and the thing he does best is to write prescriptions.

A few days ago his office sent a letter to all his clinics patients stating that from now on we'd be seeing a nurse or PA only at our appointments! So in other words, in America a doctor won't come to your home, won't talk to you on the phone and now won't even see you at your appointments! Do you think they will bill us less now we can't see them? lol.
No, this country doesn't have the best health care in the world.

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. We have the best care in the world

But you need to have the money to pay for it, or top rate insurance.

Trust me, I just saw top flight care in the US... and it is RARE as hell...

And it scares our politicos that our care should be top notch for joe six pack.

(Oh and my bro, one of the top providers in the US, has problems understanding that the place he works is so damn fucking rare. Perhaps now that daughter is 'bout to enter the wonders of private insurance, he'll finally get it)

[jtrockville]

2. So "we" only refers to the wealthy (or those who can collectively bargain).

[nadinbrzezinski]

3. Remove the latter

seriously.

But the standard of care for the US should be at MINIMUM where I get my health care... but should shoot for the place my dad just got his care.

But yes, that top notch, world class care does exist in this country. It is just rare as hell.

[jtrockville]

5. I'm sure world class care for the elite exists in other countries too.

To say "We have the best care in the world" is rather disingenuous, since (by your own account) "we" isn't a very inclusive term.

[nadinbrzezinski]

11. That is because hospitals like UCSD are

rare, and the Cleveland Clinic is the elite.

You live in Cleveland, you will get care at one of the top four hospitals in the country. Yes, it is that simple.

If you happen to get it at UCSD, a UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, that is one of the top 100.

By the way, I am not the elite. My care is through the US Navy, since my husband retired after twenty years.

Next question.

So yes, care in this country is top notch, and world class in SOME places... but that is the way the system is designed.

But if you think the wife of a USN Chief retired is the elite, then we have different definitions.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

6. I kind of agree

but I wonder why I'm treated so bad because I have 'good' insurance.

[nadinbrzezinski]

12. Because of where you are

some regions of this country are plain bad.

[Pool Hall Ace]

9. We have the best care in the world, but you need the money to pay for it?

That reminds me an awful lot of Rudy Giuliani's comment about how there were no domestic attacks during GW Bush's presidency.

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. My money comes from

a very good insurance plan.

No, not gold plated, just good.

And that is part of the damn problem.

Whether your money comes from a private fortune (in some cases) or from good insurance, increasingly federal insurance, is another question.

And that my dear is part of the structural problem in the US... and why we NEED SINGLE PAYER, no questions asked.

Why I told my reps... the country NEEDS what I got, end of discussion... or what they got... end of discussion. That would mean the end of United Health and we both know that cannot happen.

:sarcasm:

[KT2000]

4. got another one for you

I saw a doctor recently for an appointment to see if I needed a certain screening test. During the appt the doctor noticed I had a fast pulse and called his assistant to give me ann EKG. Just got the bill - they are charging me for the "treatment room" which my insurance does not cover. The clinic was bought by our local hospital district so now they are charging things such as EKG's as "out patient" procedures. I think we are getting into some creative billing practices.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

7. It's all about the money..

...making money and avoiding law suites. Somewhere along the line they forgot it was about making people feel better when they are ill.

[jtrockville]

8. Imagine what it would be like to have a housecall.

[FunkyLeprechaun]

10. I've been living in the UK for 4 years now

Although I got the best health care possible in the state of MN (where I used to live), I would rather be treated under the NHS here in the UK. Whenever I hear about something happening in the US regarding Health Care, Unemployment Benefits, etc, it makes me cry. I wish people would understand that there is a need for UHC.

It's not just the NHS, there's also laws on the books that allow women to take 6-12 month maternity leave (a mother can choose to halve her maternity leave and give it to the father). I feel that women here are treated better in the health sector than the US.

I've kept onto my US citizenship so I can continue to vote in people who support UHC. My Republican friends have told me that it's not fair that I continue to vote even though I don't live in the US anymore, I told them I'm a US citizen, it's my right to vote.