to wonder why American women go to the gynaecologist so much, and whether we should to?

[Ribbet]

Do they really have regular check ups or is it something I've seen on TV, just for routine smears, contraception and those services we use GPs/ practice nurses for? And if they do go more often, do US women have better gynaecological health Han those of us in the UK?

Bemybebe I am so sorry. That is a dreadful experience that you have gone through and I hope that that policy is changed so that others do not face what you have had to go through. I really am sorry that you lost your precious baby.

I've had both strep throat and tonsillitis. Tonsillitis was no picnic, but strep throat was another level of grimness; I felt wretched, like I was swallowing glass, I cried with it, and I'm nails [bugrin].

For peace of mind I have a full annual BUPA medical which includes a smear test and breast check and sufficient time to discuss any issues without feeling rushed (as I often feel when I see my GP).

bemybebe I am so, so sorry for what you have been through.

They really should do Strep B testing routinely. Or at least let you know how you can get it done privately if you want.

pitmountain I'm really glad to see someone defending 'over-medicalised' because that has been my feeling as well -- when something is wrong, having those resources easily accessible is fantastic.

And I'd like to correct this idea that everyone in the US pays a fortune for health insurance and poor people are all dying in the streets. Yes, there is a serious problem with people not having insurance, although many of them are not poor. Yes, many people especially those without regular salaried jobs have to pay too much for insurance.

But I had fantastic insurance for 15 years in the US and I never paid more than $100 a month -- usually, a lot less. I was lucky, but not unusually so.

I know people will say, but that's crazy, having to spend $100/month on healthcare -- but don't you spend a fortune on car insurance every month? And that's just your car!

Don't get me wrong, I think the US system is a mess and really unfair, but it's not necessarily as bad as everyone in the UK seems to think it is.

Especially since, imho, most American women have much better access to proper health care, and much better outcomes than the UK in things like breast and ovarian cancer.

I think if you have health insurance in the US, the options are better than here on the NHS. I don't dispute that. When I had my back surgery, the quality of care was amazing, and the hospital was sparkling clean.

I also don't want to sound disparaging towards the NHS, because I know they do a lot with quite a little, comparatively. If I had to choose between the two systems, I would choose the NHS, and that is mostly because I know there will always be treatment available for me here. It does me no good to know that there is excellent medical care available, if only I have the right job/ right insurance coverage.

Almost half of Americans are uninsured at the moment, either due to changes in benefits companies offer to certain employees (anyone around minimum wage or so), or part time workers, or contract workers. Yes, most people I know back home in the US are insured, because most of my friends are in IT or in similarly paid office work. I know when I was young and waited tables, though, none of the staff in the restaurant had insurance, outside of the managers. Just an example. I did also end up paying out of pocket $10k for back surgery during that time period. I just happen to be fortunate enough to have grandparents who could help with that.

Oh, and my mother, who worked as a systems analyst (IT) her entire life, now finds herself without insurance due to having left her old job to take care of her parents in another state. It's terrible to suffer such consequences over a such a decision, imo.

Yes, strep throat feels very much like I would imagine swallowing shards of glass to feel like, thanks to whomever made that analogy. :) Here is what it looks like (don't click if you're feeling squeamish), it's pretty obvious visually when you've got a bad case, so I'm not too surprised they don't swab for it here.

Cakewrench, sorry, but that's not right -- it's less than 20 percent of Americans who don't have health insurance. Which is still too much but not quite as catastrophic!

I'm sorry to hear about your mother, that's awful. Can she get Medicare soon?

Btw I was also a waitress for many years, but back then it was still possible to get individual health insurance from Blue Cross at a reasonable rate. I was the only one I knew who had it though!

Next baby I have, I'll investigate private testing. Over the internet, if need be.

yikes, I apologise, I have no idea what statistics I was looking at that made me think half. Wasn't done on purpose!

I don't think she's eligible for Medicare anytime soon, not for a few more years at least. She's working in a completely different field now, much lower paid, and has been promoted but they keep finding a way to keep her off their health plan (because the premiums the business pays go up if the average age of their enrolled employees goes up).

I had insurance for accidents when I waited tables, but that was all. Good, and sufficient for most people at that age really, but I couldn't ignore the back troubles any longer once they started to effect my leg.

I'm rambling. Very sorry again about mis-quoting the insurance coverage!

Oh gosh, don't apologise! The scary thing is that it doesn't sound too unbelievable that it could be half of Americans...

Lots of horror stories from my waitress days. Need stitches? Nah, just hold it together with duct tape...

Big J -- I think it's pretty easy to get a private test for Strep B, I looked into it at one point but was then too sick to do it.

This is an interesting thread, to hear about medical experiences in different countries.

I live in Switzerland and it's an insurance based system but works very differently fromthe U.S.. Everyone who is employed has to habe medical insurance to the basic level of care (this is conto.led by the goverment, insurance companies cannot offer less, and the price is also controlled by goverment.) you can choose which insurer to go with and then your employer deducts the premiums from your salary and gives them to the insurer. Employwrs don't normally pay any part of the costs themselves, they just have a legal obligation to make sure their employers are covered in this way.

Medical insurance is very expensive, we pay around £550 per month for our family, 2 adults and 2 children, and it can sometimes be a lot more depending on exactly where you live.

Having said that, our overall tax bill is considerably lower. I always think it's a bit funny when people say that the NHS is 'free'. Yes you don't directly pay the costs when you receive the service, but a huge amount of public money goes into it, so people are paying for it through their taxes. It's not 'free'.

To get back to tje original point, we also have a yearly check with a gynaecologist here, for smear, breast check, contraception issues. I don't know if it's always necessary but would rather err on the side of caution. When I had mine in January, doc spent a long tome examining one of my breasts, then said she wanted to do an ultrasound which of course freaked me out but she was able to do it there and then as she had all equipment in her surgery, and was able to give me an all clear. I'm sure in Britain I'd have had to wait a long time for that treatment and would have been imagining the worst horror scenrios in between.

Like in many countries outside the U.K. You generally see specialists a lot more. I go straight to dermatologist for anything skin related, children always to paed. Etc. i am really happy that we have that easy access. It's not hard to know where to go - if you don't have any idea what's really wrong you go to the equiv. of GP, a 'hausarzt' and they point you in the right direction.

I feel very lucky to habe the level of health care we do and I know I would miss it if we lived in the U.K. However, i wouldn't advocate Britain changing to this type of system though - it just wouldn't work as too many people wouldn't be able to afford it.

Look I think the Nhs is wonderful in any ways....I did not get great nursing care and could never get a doc appointment.....the line wasbpermanently engaged.
But I also think the care you get in the us system is top notch and their nurses are very well trained in how to care for people. Having said that the nurses I had in the uk were from overseas and spoke broken English which did not help when trying to communicate so maybe London hospitals struggle to get nurses.

I just have to defend the us care......when people attack it as it really is just to top notch and you feel the nurses care about you here.