to think that after watching last nights dispatches .....

[houseworkwhore]

I would happily pay a bit more tax and insurance to help make the nhs better. We are lucky that we get the 'free' treatment on the nhs. However after watching this dispatches undercover in the hospitals and seeing some of the horror that happens part of me wishes we were like america where we have to have insurance or pay for the treatment to ensure it is good and clean treatment.

What are your thoughts?

I would also happily pay more taxes to help the nhs. It scares me to think of our healthcare becoming private. Yes the nhs isn't perfect but i think with even more funding and help it could be. I would rather have average care for all then no care for some and the best for some

I don't pay taxes as I'm too ill to work, and would therefore not be able to pay insurance.
For that reason I'm glad we have the NHS, but it needs improving, as I saw some awful things and received some terrible treatment last year.

I used to live in a european country where private health insurance was compulsary. I paid 120 euros per month premiums on my insurance, then the policy had a 500 euro excess, so if I went to the GP I had to pay 80 euros, if I wanted a repeat prescription, that cost me 40 euros, if I collected a prescription that cost me another 20 euros or so (depending on what I was collecting). Smear tests? yet more payments. The list went on. If you were reasonably healthy, but just needed to see the doctor sometimes it was extortionately (sp?) expensive. I think we are very lucky in the UK to have these things for "free" (yes, I know we pay national insurance, but that plus taxes are still lower than in many other countries).

Aye, my american friend can't get health insurance due to having a pre-existing medical condition. This means that she can't pay for treatment. Which means she's more likely to end up really ill. So no. We'll keep the NHS please...