Do you Brits like your health care system?

Question

I am from the states.

I pay 103.87 every 2 weeks
plus 11.53 for vision, and 35.21 for dental and 21.94 for medicare
I also will have to pay a deductible and usually 20% of my bill to a point.
if you are poor you may get medicade but I'm not sure. but it is the working poor who get hit the worst. or those that work but can't get or don't have insurence.

Answer 1

Not only did we like it, we were PROUD of it, the best in the world!
Unfortunately the rest of the world found out, and came here to get free medical treatment, and now WE the Brits cannot get seen!

Answer 2

I LOVE the NHS!

I could NEVER live with the American system. I wonder what happens over there to the poor and those who can't afford to pay for health insurance.

People moan all the time about the NHS but they'd be lost if it was taken away. Yes we do have private healthcare over here too but most people can't afford it.

Some who have the money use private healthcare services for operations and things that either aren't covered by the NHS (ie some fertility treatments) or that would have a long waiting list on the NHS (certain operations).

But no matter how poor you are you can get a really good standard of healthcare and I see that as a basic human right!!! I've just had my first baby and all my care was provided on the NHS. I couldn't have wished for anything better!

I feel its barbaric for doctors to treat or not treat sick people dependent on how big their bank balance is! Money shouldn't even come into it!

Thanks be to Aneurin Bevan the great Welshman who was the Architect of the Welfare State!!

Snife is an idiot and in the vast minority - mosty Brits love and depend on the NHS. If Snife doesn't want it then let him sod off to America! Socialised Healthcare is our RIGHT! and Boy from Bali is talking crap. We love the NHS in the UK!!!

EDIT: OMG you Americans pay MUCH more for your private healthcare than we have to pay in taxes for the NHS. You pay all that AND your Income Tax! Wow, thats tough!

Answer 3

To be quite honest. i live in the UK and work in the Public health care (NHS) which is free to all even if you have just arrived in the country. I lot of people use this from other countries and the british people suffer because of the lack of resources. The NHS tries its very best to help people and they work hard to ensure that patients get the best care they can offer. There is always some hospitals that are performing at a higher standard than others so this quality of care can differ from place to place. Our government is reducing the money that the NHS can have each year and are trying to make people turn against the NHS and more and more people are paying privately for there health care. The government are reducing the money and then people dont realise but they are being forced into private care and the government will eventually turn the NHS into a system much like the system in the US. The amount of people who use the NHS is about 90% of the population at the moment with some people paying privately for operations that they can't wait any longer for because the NHS waiting lists are quite long. Ive only mentioned the Hospitals in this but the health care system covers GP's, Home care services, Dental, and Nursing Homes and more. My answer to your question is i like the health care and without it a lot of people would die, but think it very unfair that the government are reducing the funds, they should look at people's entitlement to the NHS more and make new comers to the country pay for there care until they have put some funds into the country themselves.

Answer 4

It is the corner stone of our society, free healthcare for all, the idea was that it didn't matter how rich or poor you were, if you needed a doctor you got one. I don't believe that Labour have ruined it, but, ruined it certainly is, there are many contributing factors to this, one of which is the general idea that those who can afford to contribute a small amount of national insurance money and in return the whole country gets treatment, unfortunately the books don't balance, not enough contributions, too many overheads, but even those who can afford to, don't want to pay more, out of principle, they object to paying for other peoples health care, which is was the NHS was built on, you see the catch 22? we will have no NHS before long, and I'm afraid those principles will be forgotten when they have to pay astronomical health insurance. people are strange.

Answer 5

The NHS is much criticised, but it does a fantastic job with the resources it has. If you are really ill you know that you will receive the care that you need, regardless of colour, wealth or status.

It does struggle a bit with time scales when it comes to minor illness and minor operations, but this is due to funding.

I suspect that at least 90% of British citizens have no private healthcare, and manage their whole lifes without resorting to paying for their healthcare, and that must tell you something abouit it, because most of us could afford health insurance at least.

Answer 6

I t used to be health care for all. Now it has become a lottery based on either your post code or your lifestyle. The NHS Trusts can refuse you care despite you having paid into the system all your working life.

the biggest penalty comes if you are dumb enough to actually go out to work. Then you have to pay for dental care & prescriptions. The prescription charge was introduced during the Thatcher Government as "a 25p charge per prescription to cover administration costs" - I think it's about £6.70 per item now.

In England if you work hard, save and buy your own house the Government will take it all if you go into a care home.

If you don't work then all the above is free.

Private health care is expensive in the UK when compared to most of Europe mostly because it is rip off Britain. Thats why we have so many medical practitioners from abroad - they can, and do, make thousands working in our system. That is why so many Brits go abroad for treatment.

Answer 7

We use to have a very good nhs,but with all these immigrants legal and illegal the system just cannot cope.If we go to another country we have to have medical insurance.Anybody can come to UK and get treated for nothing because we the taxpayer pay for it.I am a war veteran and since 1982 i have got free prescriptions because of my injuries,but i got a phone call from some jobsworth in the CSA saying i did not pay for a script for December 06 amounting to & £26.00 and if i did not pay they would be taking court proceedings.I told him i had not been paying for scripts since 1982.Still waiting for a reply.Nhs is not as good as it used to be but the doctors and nurses try their best with what they have.

Answer 8

I love it but it is flawed. A lot of the money is wasted in bureaucracy, agency staff, middle management etc.to the detriment of frontline staff. My fiancee is a nurse and is representative of everything you hear about the NHS - dedicated, professional, skilled and hardworking but frustrated, hampered by bureaucracy and angered by shortfalls in funding, particularly when she sees agency accountants turning up to work in Porsches and only having to work six months a year.

A lot of people in the UK don't understand the scale and scope of the NHS - it is the world's third biggest employer (after the Chinese Army and Indian Railways) and certainly one of the most complex. It is far from perfect and will naturally attract criticism when it does fail but the truth is that it is one of the finest institutions, in principle and delivery, that this country has ever created.

Answer 9

I assume this is being asked in relation to Moore's latest film?

I love the British health care system. I think, and no offence to Americans, that we only have to look to America to see how bad it can be. The NHS is a literal life-saver and without it many people would indeed be up sh*t-creek without a propulsion device.

It has it's flaws but at least it's there. I'd rather be bunged on a waiting list than have to fork out hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Answer 10

When the chips are down and its life or death you know the NHS is there at no extra cost to yourself.

Out of interest what does health care cost in the USA and do you have any free medical care if you are poor say!

Answer 11

dont get me wrong - i have nothing but admiration for our doctors and nurses
but the once-proud NHS is just something else Labour has ruined
far too much money is wasted on senior & middle management, admin and bank-staff
too much money on external contractors
too much money is spent on overseas staff being used, and not enough poured in to the training our own
not enough doctors and nurses, and they are not being paid enough
these overseas staff just do not understand the basics of hygiene - and half cannot speak decent english

bring back the old fashioned matron - they were enough to make you want to get better [and i can never remember outbreaks of superbugs in them days]
and the hospitals were so clean