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Martyn commented on the blog post British Fear “American-Style” Healthcare
You’re absolutely right, of course it isn’t free. But in the fifty years I lived in the UK I never shelled out a single penny for treatment, aside from prescription charges and dentistry.
Every week/month money was deducted from my pay as part of my National Insurance contribution. Everybody pays something, Even the unemployed.
But when you need treatment you can get it and if it’s life threatening you DO NOT have to wait – another myth I’ve oft heard here in the US.
The Pharmaceutical giants of Europe/the world do very nicely, thank you, and doctors can choose to work within or outside the NHS. Most,usually because they are intrinsically moral, empathic human beings, choose to work within the system and are remunerated well. Some work both inside and outside of the system. These are usually surgeons who run their own private clinics and who also work in NHS hospitals part time. There is no restriction upon who can purchase and take advantage of private health insurance. But since the NHS, despite it’s many flaws and failings, is so good few do. But when all is said and done it “feels” like it’s free because no matter how sick you are, no matter how serious your condition, no matter how many years your debilitating illness drags on there’s one thing that never even enters your head in Britain; Can I afford to be sick?
You get your treatment and you never get a bill. The nurses appreciate a bouquet or a box of chocolates though.
The level of stress I find myself under as I grow older in this supposedly civilised country is astonishing. I’m fortunate that I rarely if ever went to the doctor for anything. But there was nothing stopping me in the UK. Now, at an age when things are starting to go a little awry, I have to wonder if I can afford to go. If, as some Americans believe, healthcare is a privilege and not a right, what do I need to do to be privileged enough to receive it? -
Martyn commented on the blog post British Fear “American-Style” Healthcare
No. It was a Civil War. The American colonial Brits were just a bit tougher than us European Brits. We beat ourselves. God Save the Queen!
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Martyn commented on the blog post Debate Continues Over High-Capacity Magazine Clips
Mess with the 2nd amendment? Are you crazy?
Hell, we’ve got far more important and pressing stuff to be dealing with…
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2011/01/10/man-kinder-surprise-border.html
