US Adverts on National Healthcare

There have been people (even over age 65) who have received them immediately. Even the articles you quoted show your post to be a bit hyperbolic.

That doesn't change the fact that some people have waited two to three years.

But it does make that fact completely irrelevant.

I acknowledged that from those reports it appears that the average waiting time has been falling over the last two or three years.  That doesn't change the fact that some people have waited two to three years.

Years ago.  Those articles are not even current.  One is from 2006, one is from 2004  It's not that way now. 

Even before this starts I'm concerned.

I just got back home with this equipment that they want me to wear when I sleep so that I sleep uninterrupted for 8 hours. It was free being covered by Medicare and secondary insurance. Last year they gave me walking shoes (read trainers). They charged the government over $200 for what I could of got elsewere for $39???

The statistics I've seen say that most elective surgery wait times are around 5-11 months in the UK currently. I wouldn't want to wait that long for any surgery I might need, as the damage caused from lack of mobility and function will make the problem much worse, not to mention the chronic pain and time loss from work. I work in a rehabilitation hospital and it's very important to get the patient rehabilitated as quickly as possible to get the best results.

I've needed 2 surgeries on my shoulders in the past, and I needed to wait for them while worker's comp fought with me. Those 8 months that I waited are some of the worst of my life. The pain was excrutiating and I couldn't work at all while waiting. My surgeries and rehab were more complicated due to the wait as well. While I do believe in healthcare reform, I feel that it's very important to do it right, not as quickly as possible.

Since the US is definitely going to get the worst of the UK and the worst of Canada, your concern is well placed.

Since the US is definitely going to get the worst of the UK and the worst of Canada, your concern is well placed.

*snort*

 

Since the US is definitely going to get the worst of the UK and the worst of Canada, your concern is well placed.

When socialised medicine and national insurance are portrayed as waiting lists and death panels, it is like saying that all of the US system is like my sister's experience.  She worked for many years in a high paying job and had part of the costs of her insurance deducted from her pay.  When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had to give up her job to qualify for charity treatment and Medicaid because her insurance didn't cover the treatment she needed.

Don't you realise there are people who never get elective surgery in the US even when they have insurance?  Don't you think that there are people who wait over 3 years for hip replacement in the States because they have no way of paying for it?

You're right.  This needs to be done right.  When NYS started offering Family Health Plus, it was not available to anyone with even the barest minimum of coverage.  So, people like me without drug coverage were screwed.  This isn't a time for half-measures.

If you focus on exaggerated horror stories about government provided healthcare or insurance, then you deserve to be scared.  There are plenty of good examples of how the systems work well in both Canada and the UK, and plenty of examples from other countries where people see healthcare as a human right.

The statistics I've seen say that most elective surgery wait times are around 5-11 months in the UK currently. I wouldn't want to wait that long for any surgery I might need, as the damage caused from lack of mobility and function will make the problem much worse, not to mention the chronic pain and time loss from work.

I still haven't gotten the back surgery recommended to me in 2006 because it would have cost me over $5000 on the insurance I had, and I never had an extra $5000 laying around.

But it does make that fact completely irrelevant.

Exactly, it's stupid to have this anecdotal horror-for-horror competition. Cause Americans will always win.

Don't you realise there are people who never get elective surgery in the US even when they have insurance?  Don't you think that there are people who wait over 3 years for hip replacement in the States because they have no way of paying for it?

Of course I realize this. Don't you realize that I worked for social services for many years with the main part of it working within the Medi-Cal (Medicaid) programs? I know the system needs reform. I also know that the current reform being proposed is a botch job. It's not wrong to demand that the government do this right rather than try to rush this through.

I work in a rehabilitation hospital btw, and I know a lot about how the system works for elective surgery. It's very fair to say that with good insurance a person can get elective surgery ASAP. Whether they can afford their co-pays or loss of income due to time off work is another discussion, but as far as availability, it's there. Also, the cancer survival rate in the US is much higher than the UK, and the reasons behind that should be discussed openly without insult to someone who is genuinely asking why that may be.

Also, the cancer survival rate in the US is much higher than the UK, and the reasons behind that should be discussed openly without insult to someone who is genuinely asking why that may be.

The UK's cancer survival rates are improving but still poor in comparison to the US and other major western European countries. But despite this longevity is actually higher in the UK.

But... why is this even relevant? Nobody's proposing anything even remotely like the NHS and nor will they ever do. Why not compare against European countries that have systems that are much more similar to what the US could have (largely private services, a mixture of public and private insurance)?

The UK's cancer survival rates are improving but still poor in comparison to the US and other major western European countries. But despite this longevity is actually higher in the UK.

But... why is this even relevant? Nobody's proposing anything even remotely like the NHS and nor will they ever do. Why not compare against European countries that have systems that are much more similar to what the US could have (largely private services, a mixture of public and private insurance)?

There ARE good systems out there, and my hope would be that the US would look at the systems that work best in the world and spend time putting a thoughtful proposal together. The American people need to be informed in detail and allowed meaningful debate on this topic. It's a huge overhaul and should not be put together hastily with the details emerging AFTER it's signed in as law.

If you focus on exaggerated horror stories about government provided healthcare or insurance, then you deserve to be scared.  

Amen, sister.