Why would some people want American style healthcare?

[FishCanFly]

I mean, to abolish the NHS for extortionate private insurance?

"My labour and delivery cost me about 1.5k with good insurance" Did you get told home much your insurance paid out in addition to that 1.5k?

There are private healthcare options available in the UK, various schemes from full private to cashbank options and various in between. It could be argued that these would be cheaper if the NHS wasn't universal but that doesn't count for everyone who wants a slice of profit, private options could well go up in price with a more insurance based system.

No one wants to go full on American health care model. It never comes up in any online debates, nor does it come from any political party except the Momentum Bots trying faux saddness that apparently we have 24 hours to save the NHS again

Pushing this narrative is Momentum 101 as it was pushed through the other day, it's all across social media by the activists.

My main gripe with the US system is that because everything is charged for there is a massive incentive for patients to be given every available procedure or treatment, regardless of whether it is strictly necessary or effective. But procedures and treatments come with risks and are not always in the best interests of the patient and can actively cause harm. Without question in this country patients do not always get the treatment that they need quickly enough, but having a healthcare system based on the American model is not the answer.

Privatisation doesn't necessarily mean better.

When shareholders expect a certain amount on that bottom line you can bet your arm that corners will be cut.

Is this thread some kind of stealth electioneering?
I wouldn't put it past either of the main political parties to masquerade as MNers to do some campaigning on a popular social media platform.

I've never met anyone in the UK who suggests we have an American style system. Have you OP. What were their reasons.

Is this thread some kind of stealth electioneering?
I wouldn't put it past either of the main political parties to masquerade as MNers to do some campaigning on a popular social media platform

Yes. Get used to it over the next 5 weeks.

Are you in England by any chance? NHS in Scotland has issues but nothing like what friends and family face in England. 2years for an ENT appointment is horrendous, I’m annoyed I waited 3 months!

The NHS needs reform, the EU needed reform, let’s not fuck it up again by throwing the baby out with the bath water.

@HappyHammy yes i have. The same characters who moan about immigrants and fat people.

From the US ...

stay rich, folks !

The problem with the NHS is that something has to change. It is unsustainable in its current format, even if we had tax increases and increased funding. This is largely because of the ageing population - it is far more expensive (on average) to meet the health needs of an 80yo than a 30yo, and so many more people are living to 80 or 90 than they used to.

So it's not that people want an American-style system. It's that something has to change.

Maybe private hospitals should be self sufficient, have their own scanners and a&E otherwise people have an emergency, use the NHS which they are paying for and then pay extra to go private, often seen by the same doctor who has taken a day off to do private work. The NHS isn't free to people who pay taxes, prescriptions aren't free to many people or dentists.

Trust me, you do not want the US system. I moved over here from the UK, I have medical insurance. With a $2000 excess, which I have just forked out for this year. Seeing the Dr (with insurance) costs $40 co-pay each time. There are things that are not covered, it’s extremely complex and unclear. When I am prescribed a medication I have to ensure that my insurance have agreed before I get it or I will have to pay for it in full. Drug companies charge a fortune, eg $7000 every 3 months for certain tablets in the US, but cost just £100 to the NHS.
The care is good, very good - but if I lost my job I would be seriously stuck.

Sadly I already feel we are moving there. The NHS is either badly underfunded or badly managed (probably a combination of both) I'm in a situation where I am very lucky to see a good consultant on the NHS however also in a position where I'm being told that X treatment would likely help but it's not available on the nhs and being told the private costings for it, which I cant afford. So it feels like very two tier system already in some areas. I also work for the NHS and see us being inefficient, and offering treatments that aren't that helpful to people which in the longer term costs the NHS more money as patients then need further treatment. I'm not sure what the answer is but the American system terrifies me.

Free = worse.

If this is true, why are American women so much more likely to die in childbirth?

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_maternal_mortality_ratio

Most countries have moved on from the NHS central taxation funding model because of the all problems associated and have some mix of taxation and social insurance, we are heading that way.

It does not have to be one or the other.

My mother uses the NHS almost daily - because its free and she can. "I have a cough, need to see the doctor...", "I have a bite, the doctor will give me some cream", "I paid my dues all my life" ... the doctor seems to be the answer to everything - we need to get people taking ownership of their own medical issues. Got an insect bite, keep an eye on it, get a cream or anti-histamine from the pharmacy, you don't need to see a doctor because it itches... bites dooooo that...

I think there are many screwed up things about the U.S. healthcare system, and I absolutely think healthcare is a human right and everyone should have it. Having said that, my personal experience of having U.S. health care is amazing. I had a child who was in the hospital for months who had brilliant care and it cost nothing. I can go to any doctor I want, and as someone who has had a sick child, I have seen the difference a good doctor and a bad doctor can make. I have had life-changing results from good doctors and horrible results from mediocre doctors. So that choice means a lot to me.

It was me who has a two year wait for ENT, and actually after I posted I googled that and discovered that three years might be more realistic.

I'm in N Ireland where the waiting times are much much longer than the rest of the UK. For months now there have been regular news stories like this one.

I feel quite frightened of the prospect of one of my family becoming ill because we just don't have a functioning healthcare system unless it's a medical emergency.

Are some of the issues regional? I’m in the north and have recently used an ambulance and a&e and had a few normal consultant appointments at out patients. I’ve been to two different a&e s with family members this year no massive waits and excellent service. The ambulance crew were amazing. Had to wait a little while for consultant appointments and they were changed but the issue is not urgent.
We can get a GP appointment within the week but whether they refer you on is another matter and that is an issue but one that can be solved and would probably lead to savings if GPs could do more diagnostic testing.
There’s no way I could pay health insurance.

I dislike the lack of choice available with the NHS. I dislike that it’s a model which doesn’t incentivise people to take care of their own health. I dislike that because of both of these things, among others, it cannot be a truly person-centred service and so we all lose out. There are better alternative models out there and I’ve never heard anyone even imply that the US system should be replicated here.

For my own health care, I can go to any hospital I want--I go to Sloan-Kettering, which is one of the best cancer hospitals if not the best hospital in the world, and they are doing things that I've never seen or heard of anywhere else for cancer care and prevention. I'm not a rich person, but I just happen to have good insurance. So if it's bad in the U.S., it's very bad. For the ten percent of people who aren't covered, it's a crime. Many have mediocre insurance. But there are reasons why some people would like being covered under U.S. style healthcare.

I think a European system might work.

I currently live in the USA. We have good healthcare coverage in a city with world class medical care.

I wouldn't want this system in the UK.
To keep Brits here the company chooses to cover all the things insurance here doesn't touch that are covered in the UK.
For our family last year that total ran into thousands of dollars and that is with good healthcare.

The extra money goes into pharma companies and admin staff. Drugs are many times more expensive as are operations costs etc. Costs sky rocket as everyone takes a larger cut. Money is wasted in insurance staff checking every step of the way.