freedomdwarf1
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ORIGINAL: eulero83
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ORIGINAL: DesideriScuri
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ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1
FR~
I see most on this thread appear to have centred around hospitals and proceedural costs.
What about the other side of medical care??
Going to see your GP (physician) for instance??
What is the average cost in the US? $50 just to go to that appointment?
For nationalised healthcare, it's free and it doesn't matter if you have private medical insurance or not.
Any meds he/she prescribes is the same too - private medical insurance or not.
The only advantage you get with private medical insurance is you might be able to jump the queue for certain non-essential surgery.
And as has been said, many NHS doctors and theatre staff work on both sides - private and NHS.
Nationalised healthcare also allows those on low incomes/welfare to get free meds.
So the OH and I don't pay a bean for any of our meds and we can usually get to see our GP within a few days; even within the hour if it's urgent.
If we had to pay for each of the many we have, we just wouldn't be able to afford it.
Fair enough, over the years of paying 8% or so from my salary means I've probably paid for what I'm now using for free.
But surely, every working person paying 8%~ish while they are working is a damned site cheaper than some of the horror stories I have heard from friends in the US who can no longer afford private healthcare at all.
The system isn't perfect by any means but it certainly means that healthcare is free at the point of delivery for everyone.
Sure, some non-essential operations could be put back when more urgent cases drop in.
But even the private health care does that - everything is prioritised according to health risk.
I think, overall, it's a better system all round and because the government controls the purse, the big pharma's can't always demand such extortionately high prices.
Free? The Dr. gets no reimbursement for a visit?
I don't know how it works in the UK but in italy the family doctor recives an annual forfait for every patient who signs up with him/her, you choose one and go always to him.
Yep. Same sort of system here.
Each and every GP is paid a minimal fee for every patient he/she has on their list of registered patients.
For that, the patient has that doctor and can have as many visits or consultations as they like (for free) and the doctor also maintains that person's medical records - on the computer system as well as on paper.
If you relocate outside of your normal GP's catchment area, you just re-register with the local GP in your area and there's usually more than a handful to choose from. Your medical records are then transferred to your new GP so they have a full record of your condition and past ailments and what has been prescribed to you over the years.
None of this costs the patient a single red cent.
The same if you need to be referred to a specialist or have to go into hospital - the cost to the patient is ZERO!
And, as a side-issue from that, pre-existing conditions aren't a problem like with private insurance.
Now, if you are working and earning over a certain threshhold (£15,000pa?), you pay something like just over 8% of your income as N.I (National Insurance) and it covers all these expenses.
As a wage earner, you also pay for your prescription(s).
Children under 18, pensioners, and people on low incomes or benefits pay absolutely nothing.
The burden of costs is borne by those in work that are otherwise fit and healthy but still have to pay that N.I on their income as well as part of their tax payments.
Waay better than private medical insurance and shitloads cheaper for most people.
Sure, it ain't perfect and it is creaking and sometimes there is a long wait for non-essential surgery.
When I was earning a shitload of money (£3,000+ a week) I often wondered why I should be paying sooo much for something I got very little from. Now I'm older and reaping the huge benefits of such a system.
But for most people here, it's an absolute godsend and I wouldn't be without it.
ETA: Same for any emergency services like ambulances... absolutely FREE to the patient, regardless of their financial position or ability to pay.
< Message edited by freedomdwarf1 -- 10/7/2013 7:31:58 AM >
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RE: A question for Canadians, Brits and any other citiz... - 
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