I know NHS isnt perfect, but...

I was under the impression that Ireland was a Commonwealth as was Australia.

Ooh don't let anyone Irish see that statement!!

Wait lists, oh man, wait lists....  in some areas, seeing a specialist takes for ever. Some people have to wait 3-6 months for physio therapy.  Took me over 3 weeks to get a simple ultrasound and the only reason I got seen quicker was because I was on the "if a cancellation comes up, I can come in at any time-any day wait list".  Simple blood work takes over a week to get back. And I don't have too much wrong with me. 
Search the NHS threads on here, you'll read some horror stories.  And some good stories too! There are pros and cons!

Ooh don't let anyone Irish see that statement!!

Wait lists, oh man, wait lists....  in some areas, seeing a specialist takes for ever. Some people have to wait 3-6 months for physio therapy.  Took me over 3 weeks to get a simple ultrasound and the only reason I got seen quicker was because I was on the "if a cancellation comes up, I can come in at any time-any day wait list".  Simple blood work takes over a week to get back. And I don't have too much wrong with me. 
Search the NHS threads on here, you'll read some horror stories.  And some good stories too! There are pros and cons!

I guess I was thinking N. Ireland but someone said that would be a way to gain entry. I know this isnt the right place so I will repost else where.

Well, we were on waiting lists before. Nothing new.

I was under the impression that Ireland was a Commonwealth as was Australia.

 

Ireland is a republic and an EU nation.  It has been an independent nation since 1921.

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom, it is not Commonwealth or independent and although people born there to British or Irish parents can claim both nationalities (or with parents from there), NI immigration itself is the same as it is for the rest of the United Kingdom.

Honestly, although I do not agree with how the healthcare system works in the US, it's probably best to at least visit a country where you think you might like to live or do some research on it to determine what its status is.

As it does not seem to have been mentioned before, I thought I would add that there is no such thing as a "check-up" under the NHS. You see a doctor for a specific ailment.

The only time I have had my blood pressure checked here is when I was renewing a prescription for birth control pills.

Because I have asthma, I get an annual asthma review by an asthma nurse.  My asthma "treatment" consists of seeing a nurse once a year (I saw a pulmonologist when I was in the US) when she measures my lung capacity on a cardboard peak flow meter which she admits isn't very accurate, asks me how I've been feeling, and records my weight. I Throughout the year, I am responsible for adjusting my medication dose myself. 

Eh? Have they changed bankruptcy laws so that your medical bills remain???

I was just back in the US working on a political campaign and was appalled at some of the stories I heard. The diabetic woman who was living on $312 a month and simply couldn't afford her insulin. "She'll die because she doesn't have it," said the lady telling me the story. And the woman I spoke to on the phone whose daughter, in a massive seizure, broke both of her hands... and they have no health insurance.

When I lived in the US, I prayed it wouldn't happen to me. Now used to the NHS here in the UK, the system in the US seems, in a word, inhumane.

No they haven't.  What they have done is made it harder to declare Chapter 7, but your medical bills are still discharged.  The judges now have to actually look and see if you can repay any of your bills, you need to go to finance counselling and if you can repay your bills they set up a plan. 

Maybe this is opening the thread too wide but how does the Irish health service compare to the NHS?  Is it free at the point of service or more like some European nations that have some co-payments?

Going back to the NHS, the biggest benefits compared to the US system is that it doesn't care what your pre-existing conditions are as to whether you could be eligible for treatment.  Although the NHS will deny certain drugs especially if they are very expensive or still in medical trials or the like.
The other benefit is if you are between jobs, or you are made redundant you are still covered by the NHS and you don't have to rely on your company providing you insurance.  In the US companies have the right not to offer health insurance to you, even in Massachusetts, although I understand the employer could be fined for this.  I think there are exemptions if the company is very small, perhaps employing less than 5 or 10 people.
Fortunately, I've not had to use either system that much and haven't suffered any major problems but I have heard the potential for waiting lists to be longer in certain instances, anecdotally it seems that on average this can be longer in the UK although I imagine this varies regionally in either country.

I think one of the members of the Swedish government put it best when he asked why the US fails to provide health coverage when its people are in times of most need, ie when made redundant or medical coverage is so costly that it could literally cost more than your earnings or whatever.

Yes, there will always be certain instances of people playing the system somehow but the fact that the NHS is there for all people outweighs these concerns for me.

And if you move to the UK you're going to very likely be earning less, paying more in rent/council tax, plus having nearly a quarter of your wages go on tax. The UK is not some magic, fix-all where everything is perfect.

Have you ever even been to the UK? What are you going to do if you spend all the money you have to relocate only to find out that you're on NHS waiting lists and can't be seen and nothing can be done about these conditions? You likely wouldn't have the finances available to pack up and move again.

If this is really what you want, and it appears it is, then I wish you the best of luck. But as an outsider looking in on this situation, it honestly appears that you want this  quick fix so bad you haven't objectively weighed all of the consequences or possibilities.

^^What Kayla said.  Emphasis mine.. have you ever been to the UK or to Ireland?

^^What Kayla said.  Emphasis mine.. have you ever been to the UK or to Ireland?

We are planing a visit in 2 years. Thats how long it will take us to get enough points to get two free flights with our debit cards.

We are planing a visit in 2 years. Thats how long it will take us to get enough points to get two free flights with our debit cards.

But you would pack up your stuff and move there tomorrow if you could?  That makes no sense.

But you would pack up your stuff and move there tomorrow if you could?  That makes no sense.

Yeah, I'm wondering: if you don't have the money to pay for flights to visit the UK, how will you be able to afford to actually move to the UK?

You'd be looking at a good few thousand dollars just to make the move, and that's not including the higher cost of living (rent, food, gas, clothes) once you get here.

^^What Kayla said.  Emphasis mine.. have you ever been to the UK or to Ireland?

It's a good point - putting the NHS on one side for a moment, what about the other aspects of the UK? For example, the food, the weather, the people, the different ways of doing things, the different education system etc. What if you arrive in the UK and find you cannot adjust to the different style of living? Having use of the NHS would only make up a small part of your life in the UK and it would be a good idea to make sure you can be happy with the other day-to-day aspects of living here before taking the plunge and moving.

Yeah, I'm wondering: if you don't have the money to pay for flights to visit the UK, how will you be able to afford to actually move to the UK?

You'd be looking at a good few thousand dollars just to make the move, and that's not including the higher cost of living (rent, food, gas, clothes) once you get here.

It's a good point - putting the NHS on one side for a moment, what about the other aspects of the UK? For example, the food, the weather, the people, the different ways of doing things, the different education system etc. What if you arrive in the UK and find you cannot adjust to the different style of living? Having use of the NHS would only make up a small part of your life in the UK and it would be a good idea to make sure you can be happy with the other day-to-day aspects of living here before taking the plunge and moving.

This was the point I was making earlier.  Clearly, moving to a country SOLELY for healthcare is 100% flawed and will not result in any sort of happiness.  Additionally, all sorts of funds and savings are required not only for the move, but to even get the visas to come in the first place (unless you qualify for Irish citizenship, but even that takes time).  This is not the land of milk and honey.  People do not come here solely because we have the NHS!  I think you have an inadequate, dangerous, extremely romanticised vision of both the UK and the NHS.  I am not trying to destroy your dreams, but you REALLY need to do a lot more research and consideration to something as dramatic as an overseas move.  It's possible, but it's most definitely not the right decision for everyone.

The benefits here cost money, Lets say I did that deli job. Would I even be able to afford the benefits? I was a school bus driver and they charged me $1000/per/mo for insurance. Could I afford it? No. But they expect you to here. If I can figure this citizenship thing out, I will be on the next flight over.

I know some people here can be a little snarky and unhelpful when someone new comes in and says something they don't like or can't relate to.  But I honestly think most people are trying to help you here.  Most of us have done the move for one reason or another.  Some of us love it, some hate it, some simply tolerate it and some are enjoying the ride and planning to move back to the states some day.  But we have all been telling you the same things, and that says something.  It is really hard.  And really expensive.  The healthcare is free, but far from perfect.  If you were to explore your options in the states, you would almost certainly find a more practical solution to your problems.  Moving here is a lot of things, good and bad, but it's no solution to things gone wrong at home!

Trust me, I dont live in a closet in Texas and have no idea how to adjust. If I can learn to adjust to the Japanese culture, the UK will be fine. And you guys assume Im just going to show up. Cmon! Im not 16! We are smart enough to make sure that we have jobs that will pay for our expenses. I know how to look for apts and homes online. But why do ALL that work if I cant even get the paperwork straight.

They way we will move, it cost us the same to move to the UK, Asia, or Mass. This is not something we just woke up and said we would do. We have been researching this for years. I just want my family to be able to live in a place where they can get the care they need and we dont have to go into debt to do it. And if something happens to me or my wife here, we are done.

Thank you for your concern, but as far as the move goes, to my wife and I it is a non point for the benefits we would receive.

And, I have mentioned before, that we COULD afford teh tickets if we were to move in with family for a few months, but we rather take the time and save the points and then do that to get teh extra money for the move.

And I STILL dont see anyone here that is really answering the topic question. LOL.

And I STILL dont see anyone here that is really answering the topic question. LOL.

People have, actually.  There are quite a few threads about the NHS - good AND bad.  As with most things in life, your mileage will vary widely and it's a bit of a crapshoot what kind of care you will get.  Some people on here have had really positive experiences - while others have horror stories of NHS treatment (or lack of). 

It's not something you can DIRECTLY compare with the US.  For instance, let's say you go broke trying to pay for an operation in the US that you don't have insurance for.  Okay.  Well, let's take the same operation that in the UK is technically free, but the waiting list is SO LONG that you almost have no choice but to go private for (otherwise you'll be in massive pain), so you're going to go broke anyway.  The thing is that you simply can't tell.  The reason private insurance even exists in the UK (and it does!) is because the NHS isn't perfect and many people opt for top-up care or sped up treatments.

Just examples to show that it's not all black and white.  The US system isn't perfect, but neither is the UK.

We have been researching this for years.

Really?  How come you never worked out that you could have come over years ago, as someone with a claim to Irish citizenship? 

And I STILL dont see anyone here that is really answering the topic question. LOL.

If below is the topic question...

Compared to all that, is NHS really that bad? Please let me know.

Then I think it has been answered with a definitive 'sometimes'.

Vicky