American Health Care Debate

A serious topic for once,

I been hearing a lot on the news lately about the debate in America regarding their health care system and Obama seemingly wanting to offer a NHS style health care system. Now, to me thats a good thing...but on the news this morning there was interviews with normal American people completley rubbishing the NHS

"Your health care system in the UK sucks"
"How do you know this? Have you had experience with it? "
" I don't need to know this, otherwise I'd be dead"


"Don't you guys need to wait 6 months for a dental appoitnment? Have you seen British teeth??!?!?!"

Also, it seems you are using the NHS over here as a political tool with Obamas critics talking shit about the NHS too.

Now, normally I wouldn't give a shit, and would also talk shit about it, but last week My little brother had to have an operation because he fell and broke his arm. He was in the hospital for 2 nights. And I realised how great it was, it was completely free, clean, great wards and great nurses. Now I know it has it's faults and fucks up sometimes, but I know what I would prefer. I don't want a society where If a person can't pay, they can't be treated to the best standards possible, and I don't want my ability to be treated decided by insurance companies who can pull out of paying for treatment due to technicalities like they do with all types of insurance.

People can rubbish it all they want, ignoring the fact the British health care system is ranked 18 in the world while America's is 37th one ahead of Slavenia. But I think the NHS is one of the only thigns left that I actually like in this country.

Just interested to know what you guys think, especially the Americans....

Discuss...

Yup, the NHS is totally underrated.

Yeah well we have the same system as you have and I couldn't agree more. Okay so the nurses and the doctors might be a little crankier at public healthcare centers because they don't get paid as much, but a system where everyone is entitled free healthcare is far superior. Plus if you have the money, there is still a private sector you can use.

And in Finland, employers got to have a health plan for their employees, so if they get sick, they can use the private sector that the employer has an agreement with. So that's what I use.

Sicko makes me feel better about it. If people want to be pig-ignorant and turn a blind eye to the facts then it's simply their loss and they can continue to live 40 years in the past with the rest of the pakis.

Yeah my mum's a nurse and works on accident and emergency and has done for 20+ years. They work so fucking hard for so little respect and reward. I have incredible amounts of respect of any people within health care. The NHS is brilliant; when I had meningitis I needed a lot of help and support from a massive team and the fact that I got that support and technology etc. free I am incredibly grateful for.

How anyone can criticise the work that these people do is beyond me, especially when they are regularly understaffed, underfunded, underpaid and overworked and the majority of the people that criticize them would happily take their help as and when they please.

Actually the system in Finland is pretty bad. The basic idea is great, but its so under funded that it doesnt work as well as it should. You get the medical treatment you need, but if it isnt acute you can be left waiting for long time. Sometimes that can make your condition worse. And the medical personal are under paid and overworked so they are cranky and make mistakes.

If you are wealthy you can use the private sector where you get better treatment faster, but its really expensive for average joe. And the public sectors doctors get little extra money by doing "overtime work," like surgeries, that are mostly paid by "clients" (patients). Goverment gives some funding to this practice but patient has to also pay big share of it.

eeeh, so summary: In Finland you get mediocre health care for free, and good healtcare if you have money. Thats not so cool imo.

This is what seems to be confusing a load of yanks on the news.

"Well I want to pay more, then I know the service is worth it!"

Well good for you mate. You can pay more over here. It's not like everyone in Britain is forced to climb into a shit-ridden hospital bed while nurses spit on them and look on with disgust when patients are forced to give themselves public bed-baths.
I love the NHS, there've been a few times in my life (pneumonia at age 3) where if I'd lived in the US and my family hadn't had insurance, I'd have been fucked.
I just find it hilarious that on the anti-health service ads in the US there's a voiceover saying "The UK Health Service Valued 6 months of life at just £22,000. Would you?" or something like that, basically trying to show how petty and degenerate we are by not wanting to pay for our health. Sorry but which is lower - paying taxes so you can take advantage of a health service as and when you need it, or (if you're rich enough that is) choosing between various insurance firms like you're taking care of your fucking car?

I have never had a problem with the NHS. I was in hospital alot when I was younger, as was my sister. And mulitple times when I was older and I've had clean rooms, great service and it has also been speedy. When I fucked up my hand I was in the next day and a surgery appointment was made.

All for free, fuck paying for that shit.

Well, technically you are paying..

Incoming...


I think that the idea of the NHS is good, but it's not well implemented at all. We pay a fuck load in taxes to compensate this system, which in reality does not give either end a good deal.

I've never really had a good experience with the NHS, recently I fucked my hand up and wanted to make sure I hadn't ruined any bones so I went to get it checked. Even with appointments I was waiting between 1-2 hours and had to see 3 people (none were natively English) for separate appointments just for them to tell me it's okay. If I had the option to not pay any taxes the past 5 years of my life and pay £100 upfront for one appointment with a specialist to see my hand I would do it.
I hate it when people say that it's free healthcare because it's not, if you amount the amount of tax that you pay for this system (depending on the person I guess) it does not work out. Then there's the people who can't look after themselves properly - not the people that are born with certain issues or whatever, but the people that drink/smoke/inject/whatever and have to rely on the services and rinse it to fuck at everyone elses expense.

And on the other end, doctors and nurses and everything else working for the NHS does not get near enough what they should for the amount of work hours and dedication they put in.

I think I'd rather our society pay for each other on an if-and-when basis than pay for myself in one lump sum.

Yeah the one annoying thing is the obese, alcoholics and generally unhealthy people rinsing my money and the resources of the NHS. But then again they also pay for shit that I use too so it all works out ok in the end I think. It's always gonna be hard to implement things like taxes fairly and although we're taxed a lot we do get a lot of stuff back for it.

Hey! An American is here!

In America, we've had things called "Town-Hall Meetings" where representatives meet with constituents to discuss the healthcare issue. They've been all over the country. Well, insurance industry-funded lobbying groups are paying people to go to these meetings, and yell slogans or call names while the meeting takes place. Anyone can go to these meetings, but the "plants" prevent any reasonable debate and discussion to take place. It's so obnoxious.

Anyway, in my opinion, the healthcare system needs an overhaul, for sure. Premiums are way too high, and the reality is, Americans have had no motivation to change things, because insurance companies have always been around to foot the bill. Now, in a capitalist system, what drives quality is competition. In the US, citizens haven't had to actually pay 600,000 dollars for treatment. Our insurance companies have had to do it. We've never had a say in what treatments are done and when. When we're in hospital, we'll have blood tests done every single day just because it's another thing the hospital can bill to the insurance company. We don't even take it into consideration what it might cost.

But, it just gets done because we don't have to pay for it, so why even question it? There are tons of things that get done over and over again that are completely unnecessary. If we want to keep healthcare cost down, we need to either have the government pay for it, and have a watchdog group there to ensure that all treatments and procedures are done on a need-basis, not an arbitrary this-is-just-what-you-do principle; or we consumers need to pay for it ourselves. If we pay for it ourselves, the hospitals will be forced to keep cost down, otherwise no one will be able to afford healthcare, and they will be bankrupt.

My point is, the entire system is fucked up, and it's not going to be improved on its own. Pig-headed special-interest groups that are only worried about their bottom-line are not helping America solve a serious issue.

We need a government option to help those in need get healthcare, there's no excuse why there shouldn't be. The private sector will still be secure, and even motivated to compete more with the government program. When companies compete, the consumer wins. That's the whole crux of our system.

But that's still good right, compared to not getting any healthcare for free and good healthcare if you have the money?

True, but its even nearly ideal. And dont they get free healtcare in the states for really serious cases, like car accident victims and such? And for everything else you only need only booze and sauna.

I think the health care system should be done away with altogether.

insurance is a scam. all prescriptions legalized and over the counter.

You do realise that the health care system and prescription drugs alone distort the natural selection process? And that the human society has developed to a point where uneducated and poor people give birth to majority of babies.

I may be talking a lot of crap, but I think you're screwed if you get in a car crash in the US. They will probably hospitalize you, but afterwards you'll be in debt to the hospital for the rest of your life. This is the picture I've gotten.

The NHS creates terrorists, according to Fox News.

Please tell me Americans aren't buying this. It's like ITV reporting that coffee turns you into a paedophile.

Made me rage almost as much as that video of the christian mocking the scientists that found that fossil which they say disproves religion.

Jesus christ. Fucking morons. Things like this is what gives America it's image of being full of complete and utter idiots with no idea of how the outside world works, and I know that's not the case.

There really does seem to be a real fear of a NHS type system in the U.s from the highest level, and I don;t understand it. Why the false/bull shit scaremongering? Is it financially motivated? Or are they really happy over there with a system that allows people to suffer and die because they don't have any money?

I think they believe they are the centre of the universe and that they are the word of the earth. It's funny how much they're like scared old men haha.

Sadly, there is a significant population of Americans who believe that drivel, and buy into the scare tactics of groups like Fox News. I know it's hard to believe, but we really are that naive and quite frankly, that stupid.

And I'm an American. I know there are lots of us who are educated, and raised to perceive reality for what it is, not what it's painted up to be. There are still educated people who believe otherwise.

It's depressing. I live within 20 miles of the Creation Museum. I took kids to the local Reds (pro baseball) game for work, and it was "Faith Day," at the park sponsored by the Museum. They were handing out pamphlets and bracelets. My kids wanted to go over to the booth and take a bracelet, but I wouldn't let them. I told them it'd burn their skin. No joke.

lmfao burn their skin. lol

Haha thats jokes Ray.

Can you not get in trouble for that though? Say one kid went home and told his parents what you said and they are deeply religious? Seems like a perfect reason for another dumb lawsuit.

Puh. They didn't know what it was for.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Cost of healthcare:
- US spends 16% of its GDP
- UK spends 9% of its GDP

Cover of healthcare:
- 40 million people not fully covered in US
- Inclusive cover for all on the NHS in the UK with the option to go private for those who wish to and have the means

America is ranked 37th in the world for health care while Britain is 18th.

The U.s is ranked 42nd in the world for life expectancy at birth while the U.K is ranked 35th.

But we do produce terrorists through our health care system I guess, so it all evens out.