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after reading your post I feel thankfull for the health system we have here in Norway. Though a lot of people complain about how much money our government use on health care, their motto seem to be cheaper cars and cheaper alcohol. I think most of them would choose to have a big chunk of the taxes they pay go to hospitals and such instead of ending in the same situation as your friend.
yes, the national health system is a great system, but it has its faults too … i guess it really depends on where you live + what your medical problem is (what they refer to over here as the postcode lottery), but long waiting lists are no joke + people have been known to keel over whilst waiting for operations — which are often cancelled + rescheduled at the last minute …
a few years back my body went into medical meltdown + on top of that i was in a tremendous amount of pain, so that i couldn’t hardly move … i had to see a urologist + i was told that since there are only 30 of them in the whole of the uk (for a population of 55 million plus) that it would take over 1 year for the initial appointment on the NHS … i was advised to go privately + i saw the same man the following week + i had my operation — that my husband + i had to pay for out of our savings — the week after that … i am soooo grateful that i had those savings b/c it revolutionized the quality of my life … this is only one case, but it’s not an isolated one … so i guess what i’m saying is that whilst the NHS is an invaluable asset to british society, it could use some fine tuning …
After reading all this I’m (like Robert) glad to be living in a country with a nicely organized and well-functioning health system, not a two-tier system like the UK with NHS vs. private hospitals. Over here everybody is basically insured, up to a certain amount you pay an insurance fee based on your income, and you can insure yourself for whatever extras you want. Only problem is that there are quite long waiting lists for certain operations, but the insurance companies are nowadays making it easier to get your treatment in other (neighbouring) countries….
Hey George,
Thats such a shame about your friend, absolutely horrifying that someone coming to terms with the end of their life has to focus much needed energies & time on filing for bankruptcy. Makes no sense at all to me, agree something is totally out of whack if such a prosperous country can’t find a way to provide basic health care for it’s own population in an equitable way.
We have the same problems in Canada noted above, wait lists for diagnostic tests, wait lists for essential surgeries of all kinds, shortages of doctors/nurses as they are being lured away by the big bucks from the ‘for profit’ medical system in the US. But, like you said we don’t have to pay a bill when we see a gp, visit the emergency room etc., definitely appreciate that! I work in health care so I have seen the problems from the inside & out, inspite of our health care systems short comings-and there are many- I am very thakful that we have the system we do. We don’t have access to a 2nd tier in Canada, we head to the States for diagnostic tests & surgeries of all kinds, some are funded by our government but most are not covered by our system. Some private clinics have opened across the county, Health Canada penalizes the province financially for allowing that to happen.
A big issue between the US/Canada right now is cross border pharmacies, pharmaceuticals in Canada are up to 80% cheaper for the exact same medications you guys pay thru the roof for
Health Canada negotiates with pharmaceutical companies on the prices they can charge, we also have a much more relaxed generic drug system…thankfully! Couple local US governments in Mass. & Illinois are importing Canadian drugs for their employees saving themselves millions & millions of dollars. If a small country like Canada can negotiate down the prices of pharmaceuticals gotta wonder why the US hasn’t even attempted to do the same.All my best to your friend!
Allison
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