I know NHS isnt perfect, but...

I prefer the NHS to the American system by MILES.

I prefer the NHS to the American system by MILES.

Same here.

It's the major reason I'll never live in the US again.

I actually did go bankrupt due to medical debt, back when it was still something you could do.

- The NHS is very good at basic care.  GPs are generally very accesible and local.  So if you have a virus such as strep throat or a UTI, then they are great....you get antibiotics and voila you are better.  Mental health....GOOD LUCK!!!  It's about 10 years behind the US in terms of treatment.  I don't know if this is because there is still very much a stigma against mental health treatments, such as anti-depression meds, but your wife is probably not in for an easy ride on the depression front.

- I can sympathise with the whole deductible and co-pay mine fields that the US insurance system has in place, but it is the patients responsibility to some extent to know their policy and work that system during their care.  In the same vain, if you need to see a specialist on the NHS get ready to wait in most cases.  It may be free, but that doesn't mean immediate.  Private health insurance is becoming much more popular over here to address the issue of these long wait lists. 

- If you and your wife both have jobs and at least one of you has been offered insurance, don't you think it would have been wise to pay in for a year to secure yourself some sort of insurance instead of trying to move to another country.  It is going to be an expensive process securing yourself a visa for any country  - UK, Ireland or Canada.  Not to mention the costs of actually moving to another country, setting up home and getting settled.  I moved as a single person and between shipping costs, visa costs, airfare and deposits for a flat it probably cost me nearly $3500. 

- Insurance premiums and deductibles in the US are high, but so are the taxes I pay in the UK to help support the NHS.  As someone who doesn't tax the NHS system all that much (up until getting pregnant 3months ago, I had seen my GP about 6 times in 3 years for routine visits and colds), I find it incredibly annoying that someone in poor health thinks that they should be entitled to move to this country to take advantage of "free" healthcare.  If you arrived tomorrow and started getting care...you would be putting strain on an already stressed system without paying in.  How is that fair to British people?  It is likely that you will get jobs and pay in, but probably not enough to cover your expenses.  So from a strictly economical standpoint, I don't see why the UK should want to let you and your wife move here.

- Dental care....I hear that the NHS dental system likes to push full dentures, so get ready for that recommendation if your teeth are falling out.

I just think that instead of looking for any easy way out you need to look at taking responsibility for your health and it sounds as if you may have made some poor choices over the past few years. 

- The NHS is very good at basic care.  GPs are generally very accesible and local.  So if you have a virus such as strep throat or a UTI, then they are great....you get antibiotics and voila you are better.  Mental health....GOOD LUCK!!!  It's about 10 years behind the US in terms of treatment.  I don't know if this is because there is still very much a stigma against mental health treatments, such as anti-depression meds, but your wife is probably not in for an easy ride on the depression front.

- I can sympathise with the whole deductible and co-pay mine fields that the US insurance system has in place, but it is the patients responsibility to some extent to know their policy and work that system during their care.  In the same vain, if you need to see a specialist on the NHS get ready to wait in most cases.  It may be free, but that doesn't mean immediate.  Private health insurance is becoming much more popular over here to address the issue of these long wait lists. 

- If you and your wife both have jobs and at least one of you has been offered insurance, don't you think it would have been wise to pay in for a year to secure yourself some sort of insurance instead of trying to move to another country.  It is going to be an expensive process securing yourself a visa for any country  - UK, Ireland or Canada.  Not to mention the costs of actually moving to another country, setting up home and getting settled.  I moved as a single person and between shipping costs, visa costs, airfare and deposits for a flat it probably cost me nearly $3500. 

- Insurance premiums and deductibles in the US are high, but so are the taxes I pay in the UK to help support the NHS.  As someone who doesn't tax the NHS system all that much (up until getting pregnant 3months ago, I had seen my GP about 6 times in 3 years for routine visits and colds), I find it incredibly annoying that someone in poor health thinks that they should be entitled to move to this country to take advantage of "free" healthcare.  If you arrived tomorrow and started getting care...you would be putting strain on an already stressed system without paying in.  How is that fair to British people?  It is likely that you will get jobs and pay in, but probably not enough to cover your expenses.  So from a strictly economical standpoint, I don't see why the UK should want to let you and your wife move here.

- Dental care....I hear that the NHS dental system likes to push full dentures, so get ready for that recommendation if your teeth are falling out.

I just think that instead of looking for any easy way out you need to look at taking responsibility for your health and it sounds as if you may have made some poor choices over the past few years. 

What poor choices? You mean not being able to afford insurance? At the job I just left, I made about 1500/month before taxes. They wanted 1000/person for insurance. We cant live on that! SO we went through a charity organization but they cant or wont (depending on the situation) do much and tell you to deal with it. Where we are now, we could afford the insurance except for 1) My job said they were going to offer it but have not so 2) before they said they were not sure they wanted to offer it, they said they WERE offering it and my wife and I talked it over and decided that it was cheaper not to pay into it and pay our own way because 3) we could not afford the insurance AND paying full price for doctors, meds, etc which is what we are doing now. We need help for medical now, not a year from now. We could die it that serious. So we are doing what we can. And why should it be the patient's responsibility to suffer in this horrid system where being healthy is not a right but a privilege.

No, we have no idea how we would leave the US, but it would be similar to when I had the job offer in Japan. Live with family for 6 months or so and save the money to leave. Before I start doing all that I need to find out the legalitys of it all.

I know this is off topic, so mods please move if necessary, but...

JediKnight...  contact the Irish Embassy, register your birth as an Irish national born overseas.  Once you have this, you can get a passport, then apply for a visa for your wife (tricky bit) then hey presto, welcome to the wonderful world of universal health care!


Vicky

I have to echo Karin's comments. My GP's philosophy is very much a "take responsibility" for your health which I feel is one of the problems with American healthcare. People tend to go to the doctor at the drop of a hat since their copay is only $xx. If a person had to pay the entire cost; they would consider more carefully the outlay of money - I think. Viruses, colds, sprains, strains, lifestyle choice ailments are all usually self manageable.

My experience with the NHS has been interesting and educational. The first time I fell down the stairs and injured my knee I went to the GP. She said essentially, it will get well on it's own in 6-8 weeks, RICE it. When I suggested perhaps something was torn, she said give it time and told me to get paracetamol. 8 weeks later I was good as new. When I fell and injured my ankle (swollen, black/blue and painful) but could hobble along on it, I didn't go to the doctor, 6 weeks later, back to normal.

When I broke the radial head of my elbow in 2 places I went to A&E, they gave me a makeshift sling, paracetamol with codeine, and an appointment with the orthopedist a week later (I've broken both elbows and let me tell you they hurt, imagine hitting your funny bone but the pain doesn't go away). One week later all I wanted was a better sling, the orthopedist said, yes it's broken give it about 8 weeks it will get better. No new sling, she told me to keep using the arm so I wouldn't need physio. Yikes. OK, well that worked too. I can tell you that we don't go to the GP anymore.

And yes, I'm a total klutz. I fall a lot and no there's nothing wrong with me, just klutzy. If you see me walking down the steps in the Tube, I'm the one clutching the handrail  

Vicky, I don't understand your post. My grandmother was born in Ireland and emigrated to the US. Does that make me an "Irish national born overseas?" Sorry this is off topic, but your post has me curious. Mods, please delete or move my post as necessary.

Quite possibly, yes.

You need to check out http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/moving-country/irish-citizenship/irish_citizenship_through_birth_or_descent

I registered earlier this year.

Vicky

The quality of care you get will really depend on your GP and your expectations.  In general, I've found that doctors in the US are more likely to encourage tests and more frequent appointments because the individual (or their insurance) was paying for it (and perhaps also because of fears of lawsuits).  In the UK, I think the patient has to push a bit more to have tests done and the GPs tend to adopt a more "wait and see" approach. 

As far as mental health goes, I had a great doctor in the US who would listen to what I said about how I was feeling, give me enough free samples of anti-depressants to last for months, prescribe me generic medications where possible when I did have to purchase presciptions, and gave me her home number to phone if I needed to.  In the UK, I've had some really horrible doctors who've gotten my prescriptions wrong cut them off entirely without gradually reducing my dosages, shouted at me, etc., but I have a good doctor here now.  I do find that the UK is a bit behind the US on mental health treatment, though.

Don't forget the post code lottery also, I get great NHS care where I live, my my in laws have terrible terrible NHS care where they live. Its not the same everywhere.

I have to echo Karin's comments. My GP's philosophy is very much a "take responsibility" for your health which I feel is one of the problems with American healthcare. People tend to go to the doctor at the drop of a hat since their copay is only $xx. If a person had to pay the entire cost; they would consider more carefully the outlay of money - I think. Viruses, colds, sprains, strains, lifestyle choice ailments are all usually self manageable.

My experience with the NHS has been interesting and educational. The first time I fell down the stairs and injured my knee I went to the GP. She said essentially, it will get well on it's own in 6-8 weeks, RICE it. When I suggested perhaps something was torn, she said give it time and told me to get paracetamol. 8 weeks later I was good as new. When I fell and injured my ankle (swollen, black/blue and painful) but could hobble along on it, I didn't go to the doctor, 6 weeks later, back to normal.

When I broke the radial head of my elbow in 2 places I went to A&E, they gave me a makeshift sling, paracetamol with codeine, and an appointment with the orthopedist a week later (I've broken both elbows and let me tell you they hurt, imagine hitting your funny bone but the pain doesn't go away). One week later all I wanted was a better sling, the orthopedist said, yes it's broken give it about 8 weeks it will get better. No new sling, she told me to keep using the arm so I wouldn't need physio. Yikes. OK, well that worked too. I can tell you that we don't go to the GP anymore.

And yes, I'm a total klutz. I fall a lot and no there's nothing wrong with me, just klutzy. If you see me walking down the steps in the Tube, I'm the one clutching the handrail  

Not so, depending on the situation. I think the stigma here is I dont feel good, give me a pill. We dont have such a luxury. In fact I grew up, with health insurance, and my parents would tell me to walk it off. If I had to, I took OTC and went about my day. But the flip side to that is every year I would get bronchitis. At first my parents said it was allergies and told me to get over it (3rd grade) or take a pill and get over it (4th grade) then they took me to the doc once and he said it was bronchitis and treated me (5th grade) but I didnt see the doc again till I was in 9th grade. Every year I got worse until they finally diagnosed me with asthma. So there is a flip side.

Point is, people here want a quick fix and the drug pediling doctors will give it to them. But I would rather take care of it at home before taking off work and going to the doc. especially in this system but if what I have is serious I might not get seen because I am afraid to go into debt doing so.

I work for the NHS and I have a huge issue with NHS tourists. If you're willing to up sticks and move permanently and legally (which is a MASSIVE undertaking both physically and emotionally) for healthcare, then fair enough. If you're looking for a means of coming temporarily, getting physical, dental, etc. needs sorted and then going back... that I'm not particularly impressed with that plan....

But giving you the benefit of doubt and assuming you're willing to emigrate for the long haul.... The NHS certainly has it's flaws but I can say from experience that it is working toward fixing them in very real ways, but it's a big system and change won't happen over night. Waiting lists are one of the main priorities....

I've worked for a mental health trust and can say that it's not across-the-board terrible. There are some very, very good clinicians and if you can find a GP who is willing to support you and get you into the mental health system then it can be very good.

Re dentistry, it is true that some dentists opt for pulling teeth and doing dentures if someone needs a lot of work. But just as many are commited to help people to save their teeth if possible and can even refer patients to a restorative consultant if they need extensive, specialist work.

I do agree with girlinthisvicinity that if you're willing to keep working at finding a GP that suits you then you're likely to be happy with NHS care....

I'd rather pay quite a bit out of my paycheque if it means that I, and anyone else in need, can access healthcare. As I said I do have an issue with NHS tourism, but nationalised healthcare IMHO is the only humane solution....

Vicky, I don't understand your post. My grandmother was born in Ireland and emigrated to the US. Does that make me an "Irish national born overseas?" Sorry this is off topic, but your post has me curious. Mods, please delete or move my post as necessary.

From what I have read, you have to file citizenship papers to prove you have Irish blood from at least 2-3 Generations.

I work for the NHS and I have a huge issue with NHS tourists. If you're willing to up sticks and move permanently and legally (which is a MASSIVE undertaking both physically and emotionally) for healthcare, then fair enough. If you're looking for a means of coming temporarily, getting physical, dental, etc. needs sorted and then going back... that I'm not particularly impressed with that plan....

But giving you the benefit of doubt and assuming you're willing to emigrate for the long haul.... The NHS certainly has it's flaws but I can say from experience that it is working toward fixing them in very real ways, but it's a big system and change won't happen over night. Waiting lists are one of the main priorities....

I've worked for a mental health trust and can say that it's not across-the-board terrible. There are some very, very good clinicians and if you can find a GP who is willing to support you and get you into the mental health system then it can be very good.

Re dentistry, it is true that some dentists opt for pulling teeth and doing dentures if someone needs a lot of work. But just as many are commited to help people to save their teeth if possible and can even refer patients to a restorative consultant if they need extensive, specialist work.

I do agree with girlinthisvicinity that if you're willing to keep working at finding a GP that suits you then you're likely to be happy with NHS care....

I'd rather pay quite a bit out of my paycheque if it means that I, and anyone else in need, can access healthcare. As I said I do have an issue with NHS tourism, but nationalised healthcare IMHO is the only humane solution....

I think it wudl be cheaper to just pay here, no? If I am going to receive benefits there I want to make sure I am doing my part to pay into the system. I mean, we do what we can but Ill go to Canada for quick fixes (not that I would, living in Texas) before the UK.

From what I have read, you have to file citizenship papers to prove you have Irish blood from at least 2-3 Generations.

You have 'read' wrong. No country goes by 'blood' when talking about citizenship.

Read the site I quoted.  If you have a grandparent who was Irish by birth in Ireland, you can register.  As I said, I've done it.



Vicky