Wot is the problem with a national health service in USA????

[MonkeyJuice 3]

OK I'm from UK & don't understand quite wot the big deal is.

To me, to create a national health care system like the UK would be awesome. Doctor visits, immunisations, diagnosis, smear tests, blood tests, maternity care, prostate tests, Dental check ups & treatment (to name a few) available in UK free to residents & tax payers (& refugees). A tax is taken from every citizens salary to pay for the system...this means everyone, so, rich or poor can benefit from health care.

In the UK we have pay compulsary tax for national health service but if we want specialised care we'll take out private insurance, if we can afford it. If we can't then we stick to the HNS...so wot, it's professional healthcare. If you wanna pay more for more 'one on one' care then yeah, pay extra for private care & you'll get that special care.

The USA is meant to be a 1st world country but when it comes to health care, most people cant afford it. Yes, the hospitals will treat people, but they are landed with huge bills they cant afford to pay!

I'm amazed that a country like the USA allows their own people to suffer but will spend billions of $ on warfare in Afganistan & Iraq!! crazy!

[DIARD 1]

I think there are a few reasons why Americans are afraid of universal healthcare. They don't trust the government to run the country let alone ones health. They have insurance and are satisfied with it and don't want it to change. They hear horror stories about 6 month waits for surgergies or other NHS problems. Also Americans are notorious for not wanting to pay taxes in general so getting them to fork over more for what they see as paying for poor deadbeats or illegals healthcare is near impossible.

What they don't realize is they are paying for illegals healthcare in the form of higher costs when they do get treated. Also I think alot of Americans haven't had to actually use their insurance for anything substantial.

I think NHS was great. I had to go to the A and E when I was over there a few weeks ago. It was one of the BEST visits to an emergency room I have had (And I have been to the ER alot with my daughter). We waited for under 2 hours (on a Friday night no less). The doctor was caring, knowledgable and stayed with me until I was comfortable that all my questions had been answered. He double checked all of the medication I was given to make sure it was suitable for pregnancy. He gave me the first doses of medication and then had me wait there so he could check on reactions for 30 minutes and then sent me home WITH THE MEDICATION!!! Best of all I walked out of there with $0 out of pocket. Got to love that.

[Welshcookie 17]

I think there are a few reasons why Americans are afraid of universal healthcare. They don't trust the government to run the country let alone ones health. They have insurance and are satisfied with it and don't want it to change. They hear horror stories about 6 month waits for surgergies or other NHS problems. Also Americans are notorious for not wanting to pay taxes in general so getting them to fork over more for what they see as paying for poor deadbeats or illegals healthcare is near impossible.

What they don't realize is they are paying for illegals healthcare in the form of higher costs when they do get treated. Also I think alot of Americans haven't had to actually use their insurance for anything substantial.

I think NHS was great. I had to go to the A and E when I was over there a few weeks ago. It was one of the BEST visits to an emergency room I have had (And I have been to the ER alot with my daughter). We waited for under 2 hours (on a Friday night no less). The doctor was caring, knowledgable and stayed with me until I was comfortable that all my questions had been answered. He double checked all of the medication I was given to make sure it was suitable for pregnancy. He gave me the first doses of medication and then had me wait there so he could check on reactions for 30 minutes and then sent me home WITH THE MEDICATION!!! Best of all I walked out of there with $0 out of pocket. Got to love that.

With every good story there is a bad. My father has recently had to wait 6 weeks for a biopsy result for skin cancer....in fact it was due yesterday....I guess no news is good news

[DIARD 1]

I think there are a few reasons why Americans are afraid of universal healthcare. They don't trust the government to run the country let alone ones health. They have insurance and are satisfied with it and don't want it to change. They hear horror stories about 6 month waits for surgergies or other NHS problems. Also Americans are notorious for not wanting to pay taxes in general so getting them to fork over more for what they see as paying for poor deadbeats or illegals healthcare is near impossible.

What they don't realize is they are paying for illegals healthcare in the form of higher costs when they do get treated. Also I think alot of Americans haven't had to actually use their insurance for anything substantial.

I think NHS was great. I had to go to the A and E when I was over there a few weeks ago. It was one of the BEST visits to an emergency room I have had (And I have been to the ER alot with my daughter). We waited for under 2 hours (on a Friday night no less). The doctor was caring, knowledgable and stayed with me until I was comfortable that all my questions had been answered. He double checked all of the medication I was given to make sure it was suitable for pregnancy. He gave me the first doses of medication and then had me wait there so he could check on reactions for 30 minutes and then sent me home WITH THE MEDICATION!!! Best of all I walked out of there with $0 out of pocket. Got to love that.

With every good story there is a bad. My father has recently had to wait 6 weeks for a biopsy result for skin cancer....in fact it was due yesterday....I guess no news is good news

I hope he gets good news welshcookie. US has bad healthcare stories too. Here is a personal one. My father tore the muscle from his shoulder clean off and in half too over Christmas this year. The insurance company would not ok surgery until after July because my father turned 65 and Medicare will have to kick in for the cost. The guy can't even move his arm! (By the say he has to wait until October to get in - so much for not a long wait in the US)

[rebeccajo 14]

For the US to have a system such as the UK, we (the government) would have to own the hospitals.

That's not going to happen over here.

It was easier to establish the NHS when half the hospitals in the country had been blown to bits by the Germans.

[Der Bücherwurm 1]

The USA is meant to be a 1st world country but when it comes to health care, most people cant afford it. Yes, the hospitals will treat people, but they are landed with huge bills they cant afford to pay!

I'm amazed that a country like the USA allows their own people to suffer but will spend billions of $ on warfare in Afganistan & Iraq!! crazy!

Well, the US is meant to be a 1st world country in a lot of areas but fails miserably short (think: high school education, vacation time, crime rate, etc.) so why should it be any different with health-care? I think it is enough for certain Americans of a particular political persuasion to just run around shouting 'USA No. 1' without that ever having to truly be the case. It is just so much easier to think it than to work to make it true.

[Ban Hammer 13,619]

For the US to have a system such as the UK, we (the government) would have to own the hospitals.

That's not going to happen over here.

It was easier to establish the NHS when half the hospitals in the country had been blown to bits by the Germans.

so we just need to go to war with the germans to facilitate this smooth transition?

[chri'stina 190]

In my opinion it's a fear of the unknown mixed with a fear of government making it worse instead of better, and a bunch of other reasons. They don't all have to make sense. It would be a big change.

I would like if health care wasn't such a hard issue for so many. Most of my family does not have health insurance, and that is worrisome. A kidney stone issue for my dad a couple years ago, at the ER, then admitted for a couple hours, was like 7K. They let him pay 2K that day to be done with it. That was so aggravating, and they couldn't even really help him with the issue anyway. It wasn't big enough to need lasering, and all they could do was give him pain meds and fluids. But you know, those pain meds, etc plus having to clean a bed = 7K. ? That's insane.

But I don't really know how things can change so drastically, realistically.

[mawilson 2,133]

For the US to have a system such as the UK, we (the government) would have to own the hospitals.

That's not going to happen over here.

It was easier to establish the NHS when half the hospitals in the country had been blown to bits by the Germans.

so we just need to go to war with the germans to facilitate this smooth transition?

With China. China is the enemy.

[Heracles 417]

The USA is meant to be a 1st world country but when it comes to health care, most people cant afford it. Yes, the hospitals will treat people, but they are landed with huge bills they cant afford to pay!

I'm amazed that a country like the USA allows their own people to suffer but will spend billions of $ on warfare in Afganistan & Iraq!! crazy!

Well, the US is meant to be a 1st world country in a lot of areas but fails miserably short (think: high school education, vacation time, crime rate, etc.) so why should it be any different with health-care? I think it is enough for certain Americans of a particular political persuasion to just run around shouting 'USA No. 1' without that ever having to truly be the case. It is just so much easier to think it than to work to make it true.

Spot on there. The US has fallen behind in most industries yet people don't even realize this. In the others they're not doing too bad in, international companies are rapidly catching up.

The irony is that it's not folks from well off areas that are complaining, well they complain too if their taxes increase, but I find it's many blue collar workers from medium to small towns. Who basically do not know what they are talking about. They have an opinion but are too preoccupied with sport or their local NFL team's success. Therefore, nothing changes. The country's infrastructure is on pay with countries like India and Mexico.

Pride has destroyed a lot of nations. Egypt, Greece, Rome, Ottomans, Spanish, Dutch and even the English. America is now facing the same destiny. Everyone of those nations at one stage thought we are the best Egypt Egypt Egypt.

Here is an example: Compare the two roads.

Typical small town US road:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40....337.95,,0,13.25

An Australian road in the middle of the bloody desert, with 110 degree heat

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-29...,342.02,,0,7.44

Edited August 12, 2009 by haza

[mawilson 2,133]

Here is an example: Compare the two roads.

Typical small town US road:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=40....337.95,,0,13.25

An Australian road in the middle of the bloody desert, with 110 degree heat

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=-29...,342.02,,0,7.44

Here's a small town US road in Arizona, with 120 degree heat:

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&layer=...m.panoramio.all

(Location picked at random.)

[HAL 9000 96]

In my opinion it's a fear of the unknown mixed with a fear of government making it worse instead of better, and a bunch of other reasons. They don't all have to make sense. It would be a big change.

I would like if health care wasn't such a hard issue for so many. Most of my family does not have health insurance, and that is worrisome. A kidney stone issue for my dad a couple years ago, at the ER, then admitted for a couple hours, was like 7K. They let him pay 2K that day to be done with it. That was so aggravating, and they couldn't even really help him with the issue anyway. It wasn't big enough to need lasering, and all they could do was give him pain meds and fluids. But you know, those pain meds, etc plus having to clean a bed = 7K. ? That's insane.

But I don't really know how things can change so drastically, realistically.

With insurance I had the privy of paying close to $700 in deductibles and out of pocket expenses for one CAT scan and one prescription for one kidney stone I had several months ago. With NO ER experience. I can only imagine what I'd have to pay if I needed something more critical.

It IS terribly insane.

[Heracles 417]

And really that comparison can be extended to anything. Schools, airports, hospitals, Stadiums, DownTowns, Small Towns, Coastal Towns, Freeways, Transportation, Nation's Capital etc etc

[mawilson 2,133]

Worst road in the world?…Australia? The Tanami Road

WARNING - this road eats cars…and trucks…and road trains…and caravans…and just about everything else that travels across it!!

The Tanami Road/Track/Highway (take your pick) runs for just over 1,000 kilometres from just north of Alice Springs in the NT through to Halls Creek in WA. The first 200 kilometres to the crossing at the dry-as-a-bone-at-this-time-of-year Napperby Creek is mainly a narrow bitumen strip running through bony-arsed cattle country - you can look out your window and see next years McDonalds burger lurking in the Mulga’s meagre shade.

From Napperby to Yuendumu, where I live, is 100 kilometres of dirt road…well, more sand, rocks, bull dust, and corrugations - lots of bloody corrugations.

...

link

[Heracles 417]

With insurance I had the privy of paying close to $700 in deductibles and out of pocket expenses for one CAT scan and one prescription for one kidney stone I had several months ago. With NO ER experience. I can only imagine what I'd have to pay if I needed something more critical.

It IS terribly insane.

I don't understand how those against reform don't see that as a problem. What if you end up with a pre-existing condition and change jobs?

As I calculated the other day, if I was to suffer a serious injury long with my wife, we would have to pay up $1,200K, not including medication. Same cost under Australia's public/private NHS system $100. If I lost my job or the insurance was cancel, over hundreds of thousand of dollars > basically bankruptcy. Lost my Job under NHS, we would pay $zero. Maybe $4.50 for brand name medication.

And I can't bet a house on it that I have better coverage than most people complaining about reform. Actually my wife and our have two concurrent policies, with the highest coverage available.

link

Dude that road looks better than half the roads and bridges around NYC.

In terms of public infrastructure and their quality, the US is last. How about transit systems? or airports?

Edited August 12, 2009 by haza