To feel sorry for American's as their healthcare system appears abysmal

[Wowthishurtsalot]

I'm a member of a support group for a health condition I have which is fairly rare, this support group attracts a global network of posters who draw on it for support and advice.

The American posters almost all have the same complaints:
'My insurance won't cover a referral to the right specialists'

'My insurance only covers one prescription a month so I have to pick and choose which attack I use it on' (the condition can mean you'll have several attacks or flares a month)

'I've had to quit work, I have no insurance and therefore no meds'

'My insurance doesn't cover/considers these meds non essential'

It's appalling. Its a condition that renders its sufferers in hospital several times a year but with the right medication can be managed. It can, in its extreme form, kill or trigger a life changing side effect.

How does that country function?! I Really count my blessings and am so grateful for the NHS when I speak to american sufferers or carers. AIBU?

[cheesecakemom]

I was treated in an American hospital - my insurance covered it. It was a million x better than the UK! At least in that instance. I've also worked in a few hospitals there and I'm sorry to say from my perspective (also lived in the EU and outside the EU before), it really depends on many factors and how you look at it.

Yes they have issues but the NHS is worse in my opinion - it's not perfect and certainly worse. Being pregnant for the second time in the UK, this time I am not taking chances about giving birth in a Nhs hospital.

[sashh]

Comparison of a few systems around the world, thought it might be interesting for a few on here

www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/29/how-sick-are-worlds-healthcare-systems-nhs-china-india-us-germany

[sashh]

Darkandstormynight

Seriously? Because you were sedated? It might be cheaper to travel to Europe for your next one, including flights and a hotel stay.

[Darkandstormynight]

Sashh, 6K is what it costs when done under sedation. I'm claustrophobic and can't undergo a regular MRI.

[Darkandstormynight]

Wonkylegs, firstly per existing conditions cannot be held against you any more due to President Obama. Secondly, I have issues that are not emergency but annoying...skin problems for one. I'm glad when I'm miserable I don't have to wait weeks to get seen and get relief, no it's not am emergency but can make you miserable nonetheless.

I also am a cancer survivor. As survivors can be a bit obsessive when we notice a symptom that we had before, again possibly life threatening but not an emergency right now, I call and be seen today and my mind put at rest.

Your health care isn't free. You pay for it with your taxes.

[Mampire]

Ireland doesn't have NHS but people under a certain income and people in receipt of social welfare get a medical card.

[inconceivableme]

I feel sorry for the Americans who vote Democrat only for healthcare reforms the Democrats try to introduce to be blocked or weakened by the Republicans. I don't feel sorry for Republican voters. They get what they vote for and the rich ones just look after themselves anyway.

[BigglesFliesUndone]

Thanks for explaining that.

[hollyisalovelyname]

If you are below a certain income threshold in Ireland you get a medical card that entitles you to free gp services. You get free hospital/ operations but there is a very long waiting list. If you can afford it you can take out health insurance and see consultants privately, which will be much quicker. If you are brought in as an emergency through A& E you will be seen to / operated on.
There seems to be a huge number of medical card holders for the population
With the recession many have opted out of private health insurance.
A visit to the gp costs from 50 euro to 65 euro.

[sourdrawers]

Does Ireland not have an NHS type system? I'm a bit shocked.

[littlebrownbag]

The NHS is paid for from general taxation, not National Insurance. NI pays for your pension, jsa, benefits etc.

I have lived in both the UK and the US. I summarise my experience as follows: You can get excellent healthcare in the US, but the system for delivering it in an efficient, fair and equitable manner to those who need it is broken. Whereas the system for delivery of healthcare in the UK is fair and gives you more choice (ie NHS, private insurance or cash), but you may find some of the facilities and the resources are stretched if you have a non-urgent healthcare issue.

Anecdotes abound on both sides of the Atlantic for good and bad care. I certainly appreciated getting my smear expertly done by a gynecologist rather than a rushed practice nurse with a cold metal speculum for example. But things that shocked me were medical practices employing more billing clerks than medical staff - insurance company policies are so complex and byzantian that the clerks end up specialising in each of the major companies, one of the reasons you can't just go to any doctor or dentist, they have to be 'in-network' with your insurance company. That's where so much money goes.

And the price of procedures bears little relation to the actual cost, they charge what they can get away with. I had a (bog standard) crown done while in the US, and it cost me around $1200 (£750) - and that's with my super duper insurance policy. Certainly raised eyebrows at my (private) UK dentist! An annual flu jab cost $25-$40 if not covered by your insurance, compared to £8 ($13) here at Asda. etc etc.

[Carriemac]

The NHS coat for a one area plain MRI is £145

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

In the US, the cost of health insurance for employees is normally shared so the employer pays for some of it. When the employer's dependents are covered, the amount the employee pays can be fairly high, but is less than it would be if the employee had to purchase the insurance separately in the marketplace because group rates are less expensive.

We pay social security tax in the US which funds the pension system.

Medicare, which is the federal insurance program for those 65 and over is funded through pay roll taxes and general revenue. It provides basic hospitalization coverage for free, with the option to pay for additional coverage.

[PigletJohn]

National Insurance. You might call it Social Security or Workmen's Comp.

[Wowthishurtsalot]

NI is national insurance and its a tax used to pay for NHS and DWP contributions

[CheerfulYank]

What's NI?

In our case, the insurance is offered through my husband's work and is taken directly from his paycheck.

[BigglesFliesUndone]

I have a question about USA (and other countries) healthcare. It's probably a really naïve one but here goes! Surely in countries where you pay for healthcare, you don't pay NI as we do, so what you save on that from your salary you pay on health insurance? Is that a ridiculous question??

[emilywrites]

YABU. I'm American, and spent the first 24 years of my life in the USA; I was happy with all medical care, both when insured and when not insured. Yes, I was without health insurance in the US at one time. During that time, I developed an illness that required medical attention/medication, so I went to a local clinic that offered medical care to people who do not have health insurance. I saw a doctor within 30 minutes of walking in, and was provided with the medication I needed. The doctor spoke fluent English and the clinic was reassuringly clean, bright, and modern. When I tell this story to people here in Europe, they don't believe me.

I have only been to a doctor in the UK once, and it was an appalling experience. There was a very long wait, and neither the nurse NOR the doctor I saw spoke the English language competently enough that I could understand them, or even be sure that they understood what I was trying to tell them. I had no idea what the doctor was saying, in fact. Perhaps he would have been a very good doctor in a situation in which he spoke and understood the language of the patient and the country in which he was practicing medicine, but I had great reservations about his competency during my appointment. (If the doctor and nurse had been able to speak English competently, the shockingly dingy, run-down setting wouldn't have bothered me, but as I strained to understand the doctor, the hideousness of the setting somehow reinforced my fear that this was not top-notch care...).

[Downamongtherednecks]

I had ds in NYC, and dd privately in London. Both emergency c-sections. The care was completely different. The US experience was like an episode of ER with people shouting and I was strapped down (like the crucifixion) in the operating theatre. No support at all for breastfeeding, no midwives, and I was massively over-medicated with morphine, and it was only by luck that I stopped the ob/gyn from circumcising ds.
In the UK (Lindo wing), it couldn't have been better. All the midwives were ex-NHS, experienced, professional and supportive. The c-section was like being at a dinner party, no false panic, informative and calm. While I was in my (lovely) room, the midwives would wander in with cups of tea, and tell me about the Middle Eastern princesses down the hall. (Cost 6k, fortunately my company insurance paid!)

[Siarie]

Sorry to disappoint you ladies but I tried to pick my preferred hospital and was denied. It's done by area in London, which only furthers my point that the NHS doesn't give you choice.

In comparison I can pick any private hospital to attend with my insurance providing the consultants are covered there.

I would love to be able to pick my maternity ward on the NHS

[BlackSwan]

Suzanne - yes, I think the US system, with insurance, is better than UK with insurance. They have facilities we don't. They have scale. They co-ordinate better. Their technical expertise is great. The hospitals are clean and organised. Private here is pretty good too, but you don't have the same facilities as over there.

[PigletJohn]

surely that applies only to the particular thing that you had treated privately. For all your other ailments you can use the NHS.

For example if I had my wart removed privately, all the dressings, pain-killers and follow-ups would be private.

[MrsJonSnow]

I had my dcs privately in London.
The thing that annoyed me is that once you're labelled a private patient you forfeit all the normal NHS benefits even though you paid the same tax. i.e you have to pay for prescriptions etc that would be free on the NHS.
It felt like a punishment.

[sashh]

If everything were private I would be able to pick where I wanted to go regardless of area. It's not even like the hospital is actually that much further away

I chose to have one op 50miles from home, it's called 'choose and book' or something. Obviously in an emergency an ambulance takes you to the nearest hospital.

[StarlingMurmuration]

Siarie, can't you pick your choice of hospital anyway? I chose a large teaching hospital that's further away but has a better reputation than two similar sized hospitals. It hasn't been an issue at all.