i heard doctors aren't allowed to own private practices in the U.K. is this true? what about the USA?

Answer 1

I'm not sure what you mean. I live in the UK and there are some private medical practices here.

But the majority of people in the UK receive their medical care from the NHS (National Health Service) which is the Government run health service and its doctors are employed and paid by the Government. Under the NHS you do not pay to see your GP (General Practitioner) or for hospital appointments, operations, maternity care etc. The only thing you do pay for under the NHS is a £4 (about $6) prescription charge for any prescription the GP writes you (this is waived for elderly people, children under 16, pregnant women and those receiving unemployment or sickness benefit payments).

Those who can afford it however, do often pay privately for their health care, particularly routine operations, as NHS facilities are often not terribly luxurious, they are sometimes understaffed and under funded. The rich want their luxury and they want it now!!!

There can also be long waiting lists on the NHS for routine operations and some services like fertility treatment get very little NHS funding so many people are forced to pay for these treatments rather than go without or languish on waiting lists for years. Some people take out Health insurance to pay for private treatment, as you do in the USA although the Health Insurance over here is run by greedy private companies who are very exploitative and very unwilling to pay out when people actually NEED the treatment so its not a great way to get treatment. You need to be fairly rich to access private healthcare in the UK.

But the Majority of British people receive all their care from the NHS - "from the cradle to the grave" as its founder, the politician Aneurin Bevan, said.

Answer 2

The UK has a national health service. Health care is run by the government and most doctors are employees of the NHS. I think some GPs do actually own the premises of their practice and there is still some private healthcare though so I don't know where you are getting your information.

Answer 3

I have no clue about the UK, but in the USA doctors most certainly may own their own practices. However the high cost of doing business usually leads to a partnership of some sort with other physicians.

Answer 4

I don't know about the U.K. but in the U.S. a doctor can have his/her own practice if they want but they have to pay alot of insurance.