US Healthcare and deciding to move to the UK

I don't buy it. The only way private insurers will be driven out of the market is if they don't reform their unconscionable practices. It's not like the USPS has driven out competitors such as FedEx and UPS... And if they don't reform, well, I say good riddance.

I totally agree with this. I think it will be interesting to see how the insurance companies redesign themselves, cos if they're smart and want to survive, they'll have to!

Oddly, retirees seem happier with Medicare than non-retirees are with insurance companies.

I don't buy this for a moment. There is plenty of dissatisfation with Medicare -- not least the fact it's about to go spectacularly broke. I've read individual horror stories and allusions to horror stories on this thread, but my own experience of my own insurance company was excellent. And that includes the experiences of co-workers and friends who have been seriously and expensively ill. So basically it's my anecdotes versus your anecdotes, without some hard numbers.

The government doesn't tell FedEx and UPS what they can charge and what services they must provide. Private shipping wouldn't last long if they did. That is what they're hoping to tell insurance companies. Whether the death of private insurance is the goal or an unintended consequence, the effect would be the same.

I don't buy this for a moment. There is plenty of dissatisfation with Medicare -- not least the fact it's about to go spectacularly broke. I've read individual horror stories and allusions to horror stories on this thread, but my own experience of my own insurance company was excellent. And that includes the experiences of co-workers and friends who have been seriously and expensively ill. So basically it's my anecdotes versus your anecdotes, without some hard numbers.

This is a little old in that it predates the Medicare drug benefit coming into force. But even this shows clearly higher satisfaction for Medicare over employer-provided insurance. Post the drug benefit, I would expect the difference to be more marked:

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/Content/Publications/In-the-Literature/2002/Oct/Medicare-vs--Private-Insurance--Rhetoric-and-Reality.aspx

Per those figures, somewhat higher compared to all private insurance beneficiaries lumped together -- including, presumably, the frankly underinsured.

I wonder what the satisfaction would be if Medicare went broke?

Or if resources are taken away from Medicare to float wider coverage? It simply doesn't add up that everyone in America can enjoy uniformly excellent health coverage simply by levying more tax on the wealthiest few. The math doesn't work.

Per those figures, somewhat higher compared to all private insurance beneficiaries lumped together -- including, presumably, the frankly underinsured.

Presumably, but that's the reality of the US's insurance-based access to healthcare so it seems like a relevant comparison.

I wonder what the satisfaction would be if Medicare went broke?

I wonder what the statisfaction is with folks who get "rescissioned" by their insurer?

Or if resources are taken away from Medicare to float wider coverage? It simply doesn't add up that everyone in America can enjoy uniformly excellent health coverage simply by levying more tax on the wealthiest few. The math doesn't work.

And yet countries like France and Switzerland, with insurance-based access and largely privately provided services, manage to spend far less of their GDP on healthcare, cover almost everybody and come out ahead of the US in comparative studies of healthcare systems.

And yet countries like France and Switzerland, with insurance-based access and largely privately provided services, manage to spend far less of their GDP on healthcare, cover almost everybody and come out ahead of the US in comparative studies of healthcare systems.

They do. My feeble understanding of how their systems operate suggests it would be well worth examining their systems closely. And that their approach looks nothing whatever like the hastily-constructed thousand-page dog's breakfast working its way through the US legislature.

Though I'm always dubious of those comparative studies. I'd have to see the criteria they're basing it on (whether or not access is universal is often one of them).

I totally agree with this. I think it will be interesting to see how the insurance companies redesign themselves, cos if they're smart and want to survive, they'll have to!

Even NHS didn't drive private insurance companies out of business and the current proposal in the US is not nearly as drastic as that.

Even NHS didn't drive private insurance companies out of business and the current proposal in the US is not nearly as drastic as that.

You sure? A thousand pages is a lot of bureaucracy-speak to absorb, and some of the clauses certainly appear to be designed to phase out private insurance ultimately, by attrition and regulation.

I love the NHS.   My husband is British and worked here nearly 40 years before he went to the USA.  We came here in 2003.  I had a job here and I had private health care from my employer before I retired in 2005, which I never had the need to use.  We are both older, so I disagree that old folks are not well cared for on the NHS.  Our experience so far:
When we registered at our surgery neither one of us liked the doctor.  We asked for a different doctor and we each received one and we are both more than satisfied.  We never wait more than 48 hours if we need to be seen.  We have never been refused when we have asked to be seen.  We get flu shots each year and DH has had Pneumonia vaccine.

My DH had a stroke in 2004. He could not even stand up on his own.  He was in Hospital for 7 full weeks.  He received excellent care and physio-therapy.  If you met him today you would never know how sick he had been.
He is a type 2 diabetic (he had this when he arrived here).  He is closely monitored at our surgery's diabetic clinic with blood tests, foot checks, and he goes for regular eye-screening.  When a medication he was prescribed gave him a bad reaction, he was immediately seen to and new medication prescribed. 
He has had cararact surgery in both eyes. 
He has NHS hearing aids.  He is never charged when he needs new batteries or the ear thingies that go inside.
He has had a bad knee which he had been putting off having it seen to..  He had to go to A&E one evening last August because he was in pain and couldn't even stand on it.  The ambulance came out and assessed him and took him to A&E.  He had prompt care and was x-rayed and given pain meds.  They put him in the system to see a surgeon.  Whilst he waited for that appointment he carried on playing Bowls and was able to get around OK. He saw specialist 7 weeks later, was approved for surgery and was given physio-therapy to do to strenghten his leg before surgery.  He had his new knee in February of this year.  The care was excellent, after care was extremely good.  His knee is fit as a fiddle now.

As  for me,  I have had a skin disorder, psoriasis, for over 30 years.  Not life-threatening but certainly horrible to suffer with, itching, sometimes painful bleeding, nasty looking, and not especially great for your self-confidence.  In the US the dermatology appts and precriptions were budget-breaking expensive, even with good health insurance.  Many people with this disorder just learn to live with it because it is sooo expensive to treat.  When I was raising my family my psoriasis meds were very low on my priority list when money was often tight.  Since I have been here the NHS takes excellent scare of me, I see my dermotologist regularly, meds are closely monitored with regular blood tests and my skin has been clear for the first time in over 30 years.  I thank the NHS for this result.
I have had a mole removed as an out-patient and tests done on it.
I have received letters twice from the NHS informing me when my mammograms are due.
I have had bowel screening and a colonoscopy done.
I have had physio-therapy for a very painful shoulder, when that failed to work I was referred for sugery which I had 2 months later. Then more physio-therapy after surgery.
I have a chronically bad back. One back episode was so bad the doctor came here to my home to visit me.  When ever I need physio therapy I receive it with no problem.
I have high blood pressure (I arrived here with this condition) and I receive good care for that.
I've been to A&E 3 times, twice for cooking burns and once for a bad cut whilst cooking.
Excellent, prompt care was given each time.  The aftercare at my surgery (dressing changes 3 times a week for 2 weeks and stiches removal) was excellent.
I am attending a weekly NHS nutrition class to help me lose weight.  Much more informative than Weight Watchers or Slimming World and no fees involved.   

When we lived in the USA we had good insurance that covered most things, but I was forced to give up my family doctor that I'd had for decades because he was no longer on my Ins Co's list.  We faffed about with referrals and forms and co-pays.  As for the co-pays, they seemed to increase on a regular basis and the price of our healthcarde package went up each year.  We had to wait to see specialists and we had to go through a series of treatments before any surgery was done, same as here.  Which I think is fair enough. 

We were happy with the quality of our care in the USA and we are happy with it here.  The difference is that we are not out of pocket here.  We have no worries or stress about whether we can afford to be sick.   And that is a huge difference.

 

Wow, phillygirl, thanks for sharing that. I have psoriasis, too, though it's only moderate, but I know exactly what you mean about how expensive it was to treat in the states - and it's such a common skin condition that so many people suffer from, you would think more insurance companies would cover the costs. I haven't had to see a dermatologist here, as mine isn't so bad at the moment, but my GP has prescribed excellent topical treatments that cost so little compared to what I had to pay for the same medications in the states. Also, it is sooo comforting to know that if I were to have a severe infection that caused a total outbreak that I would be taken care of here. One of my worst fears while living in the states was to wake up covered in itchy, painful psoriasis lesions and not be able to afford to do anything about it. At least here I know if it ever comes to the point of needing systemic treatments, I wouldn't have to worry about how to afford them.

thank you phillygirl--that was really helpful to read! 

I, too, have had great experiences with the NHS.  I had a high blood pressure condition when I moved to the UK, and have had excellent treatment and care for that on an ongoing basis since I moved here.  Fortunately, my condition has improved considerably due to lifestyle changes I have made but I am still monitored regularly by the GP about my blood pressure.  My GP's offices are right around the corner from where we live, and I never wait more than 48 hours for an appointment.  I can even book appointments online!

I've been to A&E once and waited about the same amount of time that I once waited at an ER in the US - 3-4 hours (neither time was for a life threatening injury).

I was fortunate to have employer-sponsored health insurance while I lived in the US - for an HMO.  I would say that my experiences on the NHS are pretty similar/comparable to my experiences of treatment from the HMO.  However, I was close to people in the US who had no health insurance & that was a pretty bad situation.  Also, my mom when she was still living and on her own - Medicare didn't begin to cover the cost of her prescriptions so she got to choose between buying medicine or food.  I think it's awesome that the elderly and unemployed do not have to pay out of pocket for prescriptions here, and if my taxes are supporting that - that's fine by me!  I do not disagree with a society taking care of its vulnerable citizens. 

Thanks Phillygirl for that...I too have had amazing care on the NHS over the last 10 years I have been here, I am 37. Earlier this year I had a horrible, traumatic miscarriage at 19 weeks, and the care, not only physical, but the emotional support that I received was second to none. The bereavement midwife called me at home regularly while I was recouperating. I also had a baby on the NHS and that was a great experience, I loved the midwife led care, and I loved that I was never treated like I had an illness. I can always see my GP, there is an open surgery 3 mornings a week, and if I tell her its urgent, I can usually get in same day. If its for my son, they alsmost always see me same day.

I had a terrible breast cancer scare about 5 years ago and I was absolutely FLOORED by the quickness of my care, and how fast I got in for surgery. I went in with a lump to the breast clinic, and within an hour I had a needle biopsy, an ultrasound & a mammogram. I had surgery 2 weeks later, and again, the consultant surgeon called me regularly to speak with me about what the situation was. My mother recently had a mini-mastectomy and she waited about six weeks to have her insurance sign off the surgery.

I do think its a postcode lottery, as my in laws down south do not receive nearly the same level of care that we do, but I think the NHS is a great system, when I moved here 10 years ago, I had no idea what the NHS was or that this was the healthcare situation here, I Was a bit naive. But right now, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Oh yeah - I also had wonderfully attentive care earlier this year, right after my mom died, when my blood pressure was spiking, work was beyond insane, and I started having panic attacks.  My GP was wonderfully caring and sympathetic, ran bloodwork, started me on some medication and signed me off work for 5 weeks so I had time to grieve and rest.

I'm not sure if this is at all the right forum for my question.

For those of you US/UK couples who made the decision to live in the UK, how much of that decision was based upon the pathetic healthcare situation in the US?

If one of you had a health condition, would the NHS alone be enough of a reason to live in the UK?

The US healthcare situation is THE reason why I moved to the UK. True, I married a Brit and it was easier for me to come here than for him to go there but I know that the reason I met and married my Brit had a lot to do with the healthcare. (No, I didn't just marry him for that reason. I'm saying that one of the things that initially sparked my interest in him was his British citizenship, along with his sense of humour and nice smile. LOL)