NHS - Comments for the STUPID Yanks

[KeithD]

So our over the pond 'friends' living on occupied Native American territory are having a go at our NHS

And their politicians are proud to keep telling us that 80% of the population have full health cover ....so that means about the population of the UK don't then!!

The main thing is these MUPPETS are missing the point. We have the NHS which can be used by ALL, of course it has problems, but every medical service around the world do....BUT....we have the choice in this country:
If we want we have have medical insurance as well
If we want to go private we can
We can even go to another European country for private care, and in some cases get that for free.

No choice in the US, no cover, you have to haggle with one of the charity hospitals.

I liked the US Politician who said "If Stephen Hawking had relied on the NHS he'd be dead" ....... closely followed by Stephen's visit to the US who said "If it wasn't for the NHS I'd be dead"

I have a chronic illness myself, for over 23 years now, and the NHS has made a few mistakes but overall I've had excellent treatment, and they've always gone out on a limb to help. How much would my insurance be now as my medication is freem but valued at over £300 a month in the US, when I had my jaw replacement it was designer titanium, and the NHS flew the specialist in from the US to do it...must have been well over £10,000.

Over hear if you are in a accident they send an ambulance and the paramedic asks if you are OK....in the US they send a fire engine ()....and ask are you insured ....and your cover decides which hospital you end up in.

As for not giving ne cancer drugs to patients, these cost around £6000 a dose and they ARE NOT CURES, they prolong life by no more than a few months in most cases, and nothing to stop folk here buying them privately. Nothing to stop anyone on here getting insurance cover for it now.

People moan about the government interfering and yet do sod all to protect themselves by having such cover. It doesn't cost as much as you may think. Same as the UK benefit system, no worries, if anything goes wrong the government will pay me. No they won't, the taxpayer will!

[IainBusby]

The right wing opponents of a universal healthcare system in the US are obviously in the pockets of, or pandering to the healthcare insurance company lobbyists. They rant on and on about waiting lists and the limitations of available drugs in the UK, but what they fail to mention is that the US spends 17% of GDP on healthcare and the UK spends only 8.5%. I'm sure that if the UK increased it's healthcare budget to 17% of GDP, there would be no limitations on the availability of drugs and the waiting lists, which have very much improved in recent years anyway, would disappear as well. Ergo, if the US spent it's current spend, 17% of GDP on a universal system, it's healthcare system would probably be the envy of the world.

Our system is by no means perfect, but talk about the pot calling the kettle black......

Iain.

[adam&chryss]

I`ll stick with the good ol NHS and the yanks can keep whatever system they come up with. Don`t be surprised if it turned out to be the same as ours but under another name.
Like Iain said i`m sure theres a few back-handers from insurance companies to politicians in there somewhere.

[GaryFifer]

We probably heard this before in newspapers. "She got boobs on NHS. That could have paid for 5 new beds"

It is a more complex situation than that.
I recall during the 1980s that the cleaners were contracted out, to the lowest bidder.I know at my local hospital standards of cleaning dropped.This, in turn has had an affect on bacteria and the hospitals became mucky.

I say raise money from alcoholic idiots that take up all the time&money at A&E every Friday weekend with stupid antics like fighting,wounding,falling over drunk. The amount of time/money wasted on small-major injuries due to alcohol. Empty their pockets. Fine them, get money from them. YOU ARE DRUNK YOU PAY. thats my rule hahha.

This hospital is sponsored by Tennants lager! Instead of T in the park they could have T in the hospital! Heck thats where we end up.Can't be just put them all in a big drunk tank and leave them till next day for pickup.

Well i know that sounds a bit extreme, but remember if you are in A&E next to drunk guy and your loved one is next to them, you will be annoyed at that drunken idiot. Its just human nature to think damn he is getting seen before me!

[Tawi2]

We probably heard this before in newspapers. "She got boobs on NHS. That could have paid for 5 new beds"

It is a more complex situation than that.
I recall during the 1980s that the cleaners were contracted out, to the lowest bidder.I know at my local hospital standards of cleaning dropped.This, in turn has had an affect on bacteria and the hospitals became mucky.

I say raise money from alcoholic idiots that take up all the time&money at A&E every Friday weekend with stupid antics like fighting,wounding,falling over drunk. The amount of time/money wasted on small-major injuries due to alcohol. Empty their pockets. Fine them, get money from them. YOU ARE DRUNK YOU PAY. thats my rule hahha.

This hospital is sponsored by Tennants lager! Instead of T in the park they could have T in the hospital! Heck thats where we end up.Can't be just put them all in a big drunk tank and leave them till next day for pickup.

Well i know that sounds a bit extreme, but remember if you are in A&E next to drunk guy and your loved one is next to them, you will be annoyed at that drunken idiot. Its just human nature to think damn he is getting seen before me!

Might as well follow the same path with smokers then

[KeithD]

It is a more complex situation than that.
I recall during the 1980s that the cleaners were contracted out, to the lowest bidder.I know at my local hospital standards of cleaning dropped.This, in turn has had an affect on bacteria and the hospitals became mucky.

That story is actually a myth.

Hospitals are now cleaner than ever unless you think it was fine in the days of Florence Nightingale

The media over-hyped MRSA, and the other bacterium problems.

Only recently has MRSA and the others been checked for and put on death certificates, until a few years ago death would have been recorded as 'Cause of death unkown'.

The other things is that the bacteria has become resistant to most drugs these days so can happily go about daily life killing poeple!

Thirdly, the hospitals only have MRSA etc because 99% of it is brought in by visitors.

[KeithD]

Just been looking at the official figures for the UK v USA

The USA spends twice as much per head in the USA as the UK. So they must be twice as ill ....nope....it all revolves around the doctors doing treatment and prescribing drugs that are not needed

80% have full healthcare cover...erm....it's 100% in the UK

Life expectancy in the US is LOWER than the UK by some years (Japan is the best in the World, UK 4th, US 5th). Why? The 20% that don't have full cover (about 50Million or so), drag the life expectancy figures down!

[Northerner]

The lack of an NHS makes the US a bad move for me, if I ever decided to leave the UK! At least here I have the freedom to change jobs if I want to and not worry about my cover

Plus I have already been in need of the NHS, nothing serious but enough to cost a fortune in the US. Plus the problem with the US system when it comes to money, is that so many people are making profits from the health industry The sales people, the advertisers, the who turn down coverage and get bonuses for doing so And the big boys at the top who milk the system for every penny.. And the politicians are bought and paid for, so they will never allow real national healthcare to become a reality in the US!

I liked it when the Tory MEP who went onto Fox news to tell the US that our NHS is a mistake, and he was called out for treasonous statements I only wish the people in the US who said the same things were branded as traitors to their own countrymen..

[Corina]

So our over the pond 'friends' living on occupied Native American territory are having a go at our NHS

And their politicians are proud to keep telling us that 80% of the population have full health cover ....so that means about the population of the UK don't then!!

The main thing is these MUPPETS are missing the point. We have the NHS which can be used by ALL, of course it has problems, but every medical service around the world do....BUT....we have the choice in this country:
If we want we have have medical insurance as well
If we want to go private we can
We can even go to another European country for private care, and in some cases get that for free.

No choice in the US, no cover, you have to haggle with one of the charity hospitals.

I liked the US Politician who said "If Stephen Hawking had relied on the NHS he'd be dead" ....... closely followed by Stephen's visit to the US who said "If it wasn't for the NHS I'd be dead"

I have a chronic illness myself, for over 23 years now, and the NHS has made a few mistakes but overall I've had excellent treatment, and they've always gone out on a limb to help. How much would my insurance be now as my medication is freem but valued at over £300 a month in the US, when I had my jaw replacement it was designer titanium, and the NHS flew the specialist in from the US to do it...must have been well over £10,000.

Over hear if you are in a accident they send an ambulance and the paramedic asks if you are OK....in the US they send a fire engine ()....and ask are you insured ....and your cover decides which hospital you end up in.

As for not giving ne cancer drugs to patients, these cost around £6000 a dose and they ARE NOT CURES, they prolong life by no more than a few months in most cases, and nothing to stop folk here buying them privately. Nothing to stop anyone on here getting insurance cover for it now.

People moan about the government interfering and yet do sod all to protect themselves by having such cover. It doesn't cost as much as you may think. Same as the UK benefit system, no worries, if anything goes wrong the government will pay me. No they won't, the taxpayer will!

They can criticised our NHS system but at least we have it for free! I much rather pay tax and have the NHS! Mind you if you are a visitor in UK and got ill you will treated for free without asking for your credit card first!

[KeithD]

I never come across an American who got treated in the UK and complained.