Will we be eligible for free health care? I have read in a few posts that we need to register with a GP, is this just like a general practitioner? Will my children be able to visit a pediatrician?
If your visas are valid for more than 6 months, then you should be eligible for free healthcare as soon as you arrive in the UK (with Tier 1 visas, I believe there is a stipulation that the main visa holder isn't eligible until they're working or have been in the UK for 12 months, but if your husband is being transferred, this won't be an issue).
General practitioners (GPs) are trained to deal with all ages and so there are no separate paediatricians - if your child is ill or needs a check-up, then you will need to take them to see a GP.
As Jewlz said, you can take out private cover if you like, but it's not really a benefit unless you need a non-emergency operation and there is a long waiting list on the NHS or if you want elective cosmetic surgery that is not covered by the NHS. In any case, you can't use private cover until you have first seen an NHS GP and got a referral from them. For all minor ailments, you have to see an NHS GP and emergency hospital treatment is carried out by the NHS (you have no choice in this).
An example of using private cover for an operation instead of the NHS:
My mum's friend needed a hip operation, but the waiting time on the NHS was about 4-6 months. She had some extra money from an inheritance, so decided to pay for the operation to be done privately as it would be quicker. She got the operation done a month later instead of 4-6 months, but it cost her £10,000 out of pocket.
A couple of years later, my grandmother needed a hip replacement. She also had enough money in the bank to have it done privately, but the waiting list on the NHS was only 12 weeks now, so she decided not to pay and just to wait and have the operation done for free.
The same surgeon operated on both my mum's friend and my grandmother, but my mum's friend paid £10,000 to have it done in 4 weeks, and my grandmother paid nothing and had it done in 3 months.
Lastly, how do the doctors in London compare to doctors in the USA? Is it pretty similar with modern medical practices, immunizations, prescriptions etc? Is it hard to get into doctors as well??
I haven't had much experience with US doctors (the only time I've ever visited a doctor in the US was when I was on vacation there visiting my aunt and got an ear infection... it cost almost $50 for the visit and prescription, which would have all been free in the UK), but I have been registered with a UK GP since I was born and I have no complaints at all.
If I want to see a doctor quickly, I just need to call the surgery (doctor's office) or pop into the reception early that morning (8 a.m.) and ask for an appointment. Each day, they keep a few slots free for emergency appointments and if you call early enough you can get one that day. If the slots have already filled up for that day, you may get an appointment for the next day instead.
I don't visit the doctor very often, so usually I will call to make an appointment a couple of weeks in advance (i.e. for a new prescription or for travel vaccinations) - this is no problem and I often have a choice of appointment times.
When I arrive at the surgery, I give my name at the reception and then take a seat in the waiting room. Usually I will be called in by the doctor within 5-10 minutes of my appointment time, but once or twice I have had to wait 20 minutes or so.
When I get inside, I take a seat in the chair by the doctor's desk and he asks me why I have come in. I tell him ('I would like a repeat prescription', or 'I think I may have a chest infection') and he asks a couple of questions, maybe takes my temperature or listens to my chest, then writes a prescription and I'm on my way out of there 5-10 min later.
All NHS appointments are free at point of service, so I just walk straight out of the building without paying anything and take my prescription to a pharmacy to be filled. Prescriptions in England are £7.20 per item (in Wales, they are free to all and in Scotland they are only about £4 per item), but children under 16, or 16, 17 and 18 in full-time education get them free, as do people over 65, people with certain conditions (i.e. diabetes, thyroid problems, pregnant women) etc.
