25% of bankruptcies in the US are the result of medical bills. Can you imagine you or someone in your family having a life threatening illness and you cannot afford treatment? What's more you stand to lose your home and every thing you own as a result. In fact Americans pay about 10 x more for their health cover than Brits do as the American system is so inefficient with n o central procurement etc.
Most people with ongoing medical problems find that even the best insurance fails to cover their bills completely and end up having to supplement out of their own pocket. In fact I have a friend with a disabled child whose husband had probably one of the best health insurance packages available and they were still about $20,000 down per year.
Whatever problems the NHS may have it is still one of the most important parts of our social welfare system and when you hear the horror stories from Americans who cannot afford proper health insurance you really appreciate what we are so lucky to have in the UK.
Generally Americans do not understand how the NHS works and what Americans don't understand they fear. For all its faults (and there are many) the NHS ensures that in the UK no one is frightened of going to see their doctor because of how much it costs, people are not held to ransome over inflated bills for treatment and do not end up saddled with thousands of pounds of debt just because they are ill.
American medicine has been subverted from being a function of a humanitarian society into being nothing but a billions-per-year money-maker for pharmaceutical and medical supply companies, hospitals, and insurance companies.
What has all that money enabled them to do?
-Demonize universal healthcare systems with every sort of fear tactic & propaganda scam they can invent.
What's the result of all this for the American public?
-They're so clueless that they believe all sorts of nonsense about Universal Healthcare funding models.
Why would the US healthcare sector do such a thing?
-To protect their profit margins and market share. Because Universal Healthcare replaces price-gouging profit-mongering with actual healthcare.
And does so by replacing overpriced private insurers with universal coverage provided by governments.
It should be no surprise to anyone that Americans are so damn brainwashed with negative propaganda that they're scared sh*tless of Universal Healthcare and bash universal healthcare out of complete and utter ignorance.
Because many in the US put the NHS as a model for government run healthcare which many individuals in the US oppose. We also see the NHS as a system is ineffective in meeting the health care needs of their citizens and would be even worse with our population.
Because some have an agenda..KNOW where I prefer to be..In US relation just lost job @ 61 and in FEAR of fact lost health care cover......NEVER in million years would I have ever thought considering helping them financially....I am fit and healthy, thanks in part to NHS, and we have few worries....I love my many trips to the US but their system is so UNFAIR....Do NOT need to go all the way to the US to see how great it is..Even next door, in The Republic of Ireland, which also know well, have to pay several Euros just for a GP visit.....
Is NOT FREE here, but PAID for by us ALL through GENERAL TAXATION, & is as it SHOULD be....
They believe the propoganda pushed out by their medical insurance companies, who would lose most of their income if US adopted a similar system.
I have no complaints about the NHS. I know several people who have had joints replaced. They only had to wait a few weeks and it was all covered by tax payers.
They do not understand how better the NHS is compared with health care in the USA
that is why the average life span is higher in the UK than the USA. I have three
health problems in the last year all sorted out without any cost to me
Jealousy, the poor and old and unemployed and migrants and fools get no health care.
In the USA immunization is not provided or pushed - they have erradicable diseases.
The "upper" elements of the USA do not want to pay taxes for health care and do not want to limit the profiteering of the USA providers. Just look at how much os charged - ths is an artificial market.
Jealousy because the Old NHS actually worked
Why would they bash the British NHS? They have enough healthcare problems of their own. I live in Britain
and although elements of the NHS give good compassionate care, it is essentially a dysfunctional, uncaring organisation and wastes huge sums of money. Its continued existence is the usual British thing of holding onto the past. It was a great idea after the second world war, but now it is time we moved on to a system more befitting the age we live in. I am not suggesting in anyway that those who cannot pay be denied care
Later: I expected the 6 thumbs down, but seriously have any of you not had a serious illness?
