US Healthcare and deciding to move to the UK

Modified to say: I had to go private for the mammogram because the NHS wouldn't give me one  (you have to be over 50) even though I had a family history of breast cancer.

How much did that cost you, may I ask?

How much did that cost you, may I ask?

Sorry, I didn't know the cost because I went private under my BUPA insurance through work. (I had to get the GP to give me a referral and then BUPA to give me an approval in order to get one). 

I had a scan and a guided core biopsy through BUPA and it cost me about 2,000 something. That covered everything, but it was in 2006.

I didn't have a mammogram though.

FYI I had a mamogram on the NHS when I was still in my 30s. My GP didn't think he could feel what I thought I could feel, but he sent me for one anyway to be on the safe side. So it is possible to have one....

When I was in the UK, I lived in Reading. Like I said, the surgery we went to was terrible but at least the GP gave me a referral to use my BUPA (private insurance) since he said the NHS wouldn't provide me with one until age 50. It was the private Consultant that gave me the really hard time about wanting a mamo even given my age/family history.

Last year I went to the good GP you later found and recommended to me (many thanks!), and she did order a mammogram for me even though I'm in my 30s with no history of breast cancer in the family. I'd been having fairly severe breast pain for a few weeks, which eventually went away and wasn't an indication of anything, as the mammogram revealed.

I do think a lot of this comes down to what GP you get here, and unfortunately it is a big pain in the whatsit to change GPs here, and you can't just go to a different one for an appointment to try them out, you have to register with them. And my experience in changing GPs once was that with both of them, it essentially took three visits for what you would've done in one visit in the U.S. -- you go once to register in person bringing necessary documents, you come back on another date for an appointment with a nurse to get your history and blood pressure, etc., and then you come back a third time to finally see a doctor. It's a huge pain and makes it hard for people to try a few different doctors.

I DO have chronic health conditions, and I would so so so rather be in the U.S. with my old insurance than here on the NHS! A problem has flared up that may require surgery, and we are so scared of doing that in an NHS hospital. The nhs is better than no insurance at all, but I'd take making co-payments on my good insurance in the States any day over this. And I pay out for private insurance here, too, btw, but it doesn't currently cover my pre-existing condition.

unfortunately it is a big pain in the whatsit to change GPs here, and you can't just go to a different one for an appointment to try them out, you have to register with them.

Technically (key word) that shouldn't be the case. By law when you register you register with a practice, not a GP. So you should easily be able to see whomever at the practice that you want. Unfortunately, from an IT perspective, a lot of surgeries haven't "pooled their list" yet which means you register with a particular GP. In Bucks the practice lists are being pooled opportunistically - so for example when a GP retires the list is "pooled" which means all patients become practice patients not GP patients. You can still have a GP of choice, but it makes it a lot easier to move around if you like. We're lucky to be with a branch surgery which means if we are willing to leave the village and go into town we can see the GPs at the main surgery as well. There is a lot more opportunity for choice out there than it may seem, but it's a big government push to improve that.... Unless the Tories get in in which case choice will fall way down on the priorities list.

A problem has flared up that may require surgery, and we are so scared of doing that in an NHS hospital.

Why?

Why?

There's a general perception that NHS hospitals are bad quality. Although I dare any medical system, no matter how scary and socialist to produce anything as horrific as say Coney Island Hospital in NYC.

DH is on the verge of going private for his hernia.  He's been waiting about 8 months now and not feeling very comfortable    The concern is that he is a renal patient (not on dialysis yet) so they may not want to touch it without backup from renal consultants.

I thought I should chime in here and revive this thread because the topic is of great professional interest to me.

Eleven months ago, I fell in love with an Englishman, at the same time that I was withering away in a lousy job in the US (in breast cancer advocacy) that I really do think took a toll on my health. When I met A, I started thinking about the NHS and all the truly cool things they're doing to ensure health care for all, deliver care efficiently, and improve the quality of care. I wanted to learn more. So I soon decided - at his suggestion! - to move here and work and learn more. And of course to be with him...

To answer the original question, at least professionally speaking, the NHS was indeed a factor in my moving here. Although I personally had pretty much always gotten most of what I needed from the US health care system, there was one occasion when I was freelancing and on cheap, temporary insurance in between full-time jobs and, upon submitting a claim for an orthopedic exam for back pain, I got a creepy letter from the insurance company requesting all my medical records for the past  5 years. I decided I would rather just pay the bill myself than send in my records and become a victim of some pre-existing condition exclusion (yes, in fact, I did have pre-existing back pain! but that might have been enough to cut my coverage off entirely). It is a great relief to be freelancing in the UK and no longer having to worry about that sort of craziness.

Finally, I am putting together a blog for a health policy journal on this US consumer's experience in the NHS, examining some of the preconceived notions that Americans - not necessarily those on this forum! - have about UK health care. So everyone's observations here are very helpful, and I may even contact some of you to discuss a little further (your experiences would, of course, be anonymous). Thanks!

To answer the original question, the NHS and its healthcare didn't play a huge factor in my consideration to move to the UK, however it was quite appealing to me since I have a chronic condition.  Also, I must say that the NHS has treated me equally, if not better than the insurers that I used in America.  At least here I don't have to worry about paying a co-pay that's way out of my means or that my insurance won't cover a certain treatment.  It's very doubtful that my partner and I would ever consider moving back to the USA simply because I have a "pre-existing" that would be difficult to get covered.