Kind of unimpressed with NHS. Am I missing something?

Since we have moved back to the US, we miss the NHS. We have been to the dentist once each in two years, and the doctor once each. Mine was for poison ivy in my eye to the tune of $198 plus medication. Hubby's was for his back to the tune of $1000 plus medication. Even with insurance, to keep it affordable, we each have a $5000 a year deductible.

I always found the NHS to be great. When I had to go to the endocrinologist, she would always take at least 30 minutes with me, answering all my questions, explaining things, and making me feel like I mattered.

My GP was thorough but quick. I never felt unimportant or hurried. I didn't have to go often, but it was nice to know my yearly fall sinus infection wasn't going to cost a bundle.

I'm American, been in UK since 2006.

At first I hated the NHS.  I wanted my health care now, on demand, and I perceived my GP as a barrier.

Now, I really like the NHS.  It's by no means perfect, but far more oriented toward what is best for the patient than the US.  Any queue I've waited in was for a non-emergency appointment.  They remove any mole requested.  And when I thought I felt a lump in my breast I was fast tracked to an appointment in the hospital with a specialist that week. 

These comments exclude dentistry.  The NHS dentistry is in shambles, using cheap materials and bad practice.  From expat dentists practicing here I learned the ironic reason is that the regulations are so tight they are impossible to conform to cost effectively so dentists have to 'cheat' to get by.  Private dentists are known for using cheap materials and charging for good ones, and much worse - recommending expensive treatments that are unnecessary.  We go to Germany for our dental treatments, and flight + treatment is still cheaper than a private UK dentist. Plus they do it right.

So what changed my mind about GPs?  After a couple of years I gradually noticed that when I went back to the US to visit, I was more and more shocked by how much time is spent in the US complaining about or planning around:

lack of medical coverage when between jobs
timing pregnancy with job/coverage
increasing risk in a surgery to move it earlier or later so that it is more efficient for a deductable
stress of missing enrollment dates
kids who always seem to break their arm on the one day you're not covered for whatever reason
and many other awkward conversations I never hear in England.

I like living in a society where everyone is covered equally well and I don't have to feel sorry for my friends who have worse coverage.

I really grew to like the following things about the NHS:

I can always call up at 8am and get an appointment that day, even if it is a short one.
I almost never have to wait when I arrive.

Some people recommended going private.  Be aware that private does not necessarily mean anything really changes.  It just means some queues are shorter, some operations available, and you'll get a private room in hospital.  On the other hand, the private doctors and clinics can be incentivised by treating you more, not getting rid of you healed (as often in US), so be warned.

conversations like this, for example:

newcomer link: http://talk.uk-yankee.com/index.php?topic=82849.0 [nonactive]

make me love the NHS more. 

The NHS is the reason I am here.  DH has had a kidney transplant at no cost.  He's on two immuno-suppressants plus a load of other meds at no cost. He'll be on them for life and they are very expensive.  Even with the excellent health insurance I had in the US plus Medicare (if we could have  gotten him on it) we would be in debt now.

We're also back here because of the NHS among other things. DH worked until he was 70 in the US for the health insurance. After he was - ah - 'moved out' to make a job for the HR person's father (same age, on Medicare, but useless with money), COBRA coverage cost nearly $600 per month. I was self-employed, and despite being disgustingly healthy and increasing my deductible almost every year for lower premiums, my BC/BS coverage was almost $500/month. Then the co-pays for Rx, GP visits.....and praying that neither of us needed to go to the hospital. The stress alone was taking years off DH's remaining life.

The NHS isn't perfect, but we have had no real issues. I've been treated with respect and concern by the GP's in our surgery, and never felt rushed in/out. DH had a 'funny turn' a few weeks back, called the helpline, and they sent a doctor to the house. How can you argue with that kind of service?

Suffice it to say, we are very happy with the NHS>

The NHS is the reason I am here.  DH has had a kidney transplant at no cost.  He's on two immuno-suppressants plus a load of other meds at no cost. He'll be on them for life and they are very expensive.  Even with the excellent health insurance I had in the US plus Medicare (if we could have  gotten him on it) we would be in debt now.

That is where mom is now. She hasn't gotten the bill yet for her hospital stay of two nights, plus having three stents put in, plus all the tests they ran. I am sure it is easily going to be over $40,000. The doctor has put her on a few medications, some short term, but also Plavix, which is over $200 a month, and that one will be for the rest of her life. She is 64, so that is a lot of years yet.

Her job doesn't offer great insurance, and she can't get on medicare or medicaid, because she would have to limit the hours she works, which wouldn't give her enough to live on. Even with no house payment and knowing her vehicle will be paid off next August, she can't do do with less money because of utilities, property taxes, groceries, etc.

That is where mom is now. She hasn't gotten the bill yet for her hospital stay of two nights, plus having three stents put in, plus all the tests they ran. I am sure it is easily going to be over $40,000. The doctor has put her on a few medications, some short term, but also Plavix, which is over $200 a month, and that one will be for the rest of her life. She is 64, so that is a lot of years yet.

Her job doesn't offer great insurance, and she can't get on medicare or medicaid, because she would have to limit the hours she works, which wouldn't give her enough to live on. Even with no house payment and knowing her vehicle will be paid off next August, she can't do do with less money because of utilities, property taxes, groceries, etc.

Yep. My dad went through something similar this summer. Ended up with 1 stent. No heart attack as they managed to catch the blockage just days before it would've triggered an event. He was in the hospital for 1 night. The bill for his stay, meds, and procedure prior to insurance kicking in was $100k. Even with insurance it was still 2 grand. Absolutely ridiculous.

I love the NHS and I haven't even used it very much. Even with insurance back in the US the cost of everything was astounding. The NHS is one of many reasons I don't wish to move back to the US.

I've had the privilege of experiencing both private and NHS care in the UK (in one instance for the same condition).

NHS-wise, it took about 18 months to go from GP visit about leg pain to surgery with an orthopedist. There was significant waiting (generally 2-3 months) between each diagnostic stage, but my life was only affected by lots of walking (I wasn't disabled, nor was it affecting my day-to-day life other than avoiding walking long distances). Post-op I had about 3 months of physiotherapy on the NHS, which was fine.

Private-wise, I went back for the same condition (needed surgery on both legs). I was still in the pipeline for the NHS to get it done, but since I had insurance through work I pursued that as well. As it turned out, I came up on the NHS waitlist in May but couldn't have surgery then because they wanted a few more tests and then I was travelling on holiday. Private could have scheduled me as early as 2 weeks (likely because the consultant was the same, the only difference was the office and the day of week when he worked private vs NHS). As it turned out, I was scheduled for the private surgery on a Wednesday and could have had the NHS surgery on Thursday (total wait time from the first surgery was about 18 months, though they wouldn't have authorised it within the first 6 months anyway to allow the first one to heal).

The only difference in surgeries was the ambiance. On the NHS I had to come in at 7am and then waited around for most of the day not knowing if I'd even have surgery because they weren't sure if they'd have a bed for me post-surgery (they did end up finding a bed and I had surgery around 5pm). I had a short intro-to-crutches session the following day and was discharged.

Private I still showed up about 7am but was heading in to surgery by 8:30. I had a private hospital room with en-suite, and the day after surgery I had the intro-to-crutches thing plus a session of physio in a pool. I saw the consultant both times the day after surgery.

The only other difference for NHS/private was the access to the consultant. On the NHS I only met the consultant once (the day after surgery), all the other appointments were with his team rather than him. Private I met with him once before surgery, and twice since surgery (private), once at 1 month and once at 3 months (and he'd like to see me again at 9 months). I think on the NHS I saw a member of his team at 3 months and 6 months.

I'm taking advantage of private healthcare because it's offered to me through work for free, but I've been very happy with the NHS. Since moving here I've had 2 eye operations, 2 leg operations, a tonsilectomy, and a diagnosis of a life-long condition. Aside from one GP at my current practice who's a bit off-putting (very firm on the "one appointment, one problem" rule), everyone I've dealt with has been friendly and professional. The key difference I've found with private is that things are both more efficient (if I show up for an appointment at 1pm I'm going to be seen by 1:05, whereas on the NHS I might wait for a while), and more relaxed (they have more time for chit-chat and more "how are you doing overall?" types of questions).

Interesting article in today's I (essential daily briefing) by Jonathan Wynne-Jones comparing medical treatment of his baby born with congenital heart defects in Children's Hospital Chicago with Great Ormond Street.  He says "She is a little miracle, thanks just as much to the incredible care given by the NHS as to the private treatment in America." (Thurs. 9 Oct. 2014, p.13)

The post above just reminded me of an article published in the US back in 2009, which was trying to deter people from the idea of socialised healthcare:

"People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the UK, where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless."

They obviously didn't realise that Stephen Hawking is British and has been treated by the NHS for his entire life.

Hawking said in response:

"I wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the NHS. I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived."

.

The post above just reminded me of an article published in the US back in 2009, which was trying to deter people from the idea of socialised healthcare:

"People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn't have a chance in the UK, where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless."

They obviously didn't realise that Stephen Hawking is British and has been treated by the NHS for his entire life.

Hawking said in response:

"I wouldn’t be here today if it were not for the NHS. I have received a large amount of high-quality treatment without which I would not have survived."

.

I remember chuckling about that at the time, but now it makes me angry. There is so much misinformation about the NHS that Americans actually believe.

I had 40 years of experience of the NHS before we left to live in the US, and saw a lot of wonderful treatment - children of my daughter's age who received life saving heart and brain operations, as well as my daughter's illness taking far too long to be diagnosed. However I could have been more assertive at the time and her symptoms were atypical, so I'm not convinced it would have been any easier in the US.

When we moved to the US I was astounded by what wasn't covered by our very expensive and supposedly comprehensive health and dental policies. Yes, to a certain degree we could schedule tests and operations at a date to suit us, but we paid very handsomely for the convenience. We used (extensively!) emergency care, including life flight, routine doctor visits, orthodontists, etc etc, so I had a lot of contact with a range of healthcare providers. What stands out the most was being asked for my insurance card shortly after my unconscious son was wheeled from the helicopter pad into the emergency room! I can't image what we would have done if we'd been one of the unfortunate people who don't have health coverage as the bills for life flight, MRI, CAT scan, and a hundred other things we were billed for, came to well over 50k before the insurance discount. Its just not right that an accident could bankrupt a family!

We're back in the UK for a few years, with international insurance from the US, and we actually use the NHS more than the private insurance. The convenience of having a practice in our town, being able to purchase a season ticket for medicines, and the ease of scheduling an appointment are just a few reasons. No, you're not going to immediately get the MRI the French doctor recommended for your sprained knee because you managed to walk into the surgery without assistance. Waiting to see if things resolve themselves in a reasonable time saves the NHS money that can be directed elsewhere to much more important and urgent research and treatment.

My parents both had cancer later in life and received wonderful in home/nursing home/hospice care. It didn't cost anything over and above what they had paid in tax throughout their lives. I can't say enough in support of the NHS and because of it we will probably retire in the UK.