To wonder if the anti-Americanism on MN is typical of the broader UK population?

[NCforthisonetwothree]

MN regular, NC for this. I’m an American, been in the UK for 10+ years. DH is also American, moved here for his work. Most of the posts I see that bring up the US are pretty down on it (and I agree! Trump, guns, healthcare, etc.) but there’s also a sort of strong general anti-American-ness, a sort of disdain, I’d say, for things (names, attitudes, behaviours, styles, etc.) that are “too American.”

We have two kids (born here) and both work full time and have integrated (reasonably well, I think?), but most of our friends are other expats and immigrants. I wonder whether the anti-American sentiment that seems fairly widespread here on MN is representative of most of the UK?

Posting here obviously as I don’t think anyone IRL would give me a straight answer.

@Liveinahidingplace How awful that people are dying of preventable cancers! Even in the US, which has very high survival rates, people slip through the cracks, which is maddening and unjust. www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2017/06/13/why-the-us-has-better-cancer-survival-rates-than-the-rest-of-the-world/#4713d3df4b67 I hope that things improve for you in the UK, where the survival rate is lagging 10 years behind other EUropeancountries!!! www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/12/charity-highlights-worrying-failure-to-improve-cancer-survival-in-england

I think my British friends should be furious to know how much better care they could be getting and should be entitled to in terms of breast cancer careI am serious about this. Women, don't let your doctors not give you the best possible treatment you can getdo research and push your physicians. Because ewww.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-136377/US-v-UK-The-breast-cancer-survival-stakes.html. Because, according to this article, " for a variety of reasons,
"An American woman has a 97 per cent chance of being alive five years after diagnosis.In Britain, this figure is only 78 percent." That is a ridiculously large difference for two highly developed nations. Suddenly, this is making me sad, thinking of women I love who have had breast cancer. Take care of yourself, everyone.

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-136377/US-v-UK-The-breast-cancer-survival-stakes.html

Sorry, I think I did a bad job of linking

durgas did I hurt your feelings?

I do not want to live in a country where people don't get basic healthcare because they are poor. Fuck that. Pretty sure plenty of people wouldn't even know they had cancer in the US cos they just die without ever seeing a doctor. Therefore they're not in the statistics.

But you can make statistics say anything you want really.

@durgasarrow nonsense. Even in ireland where we only have medical cards for those below certain income threshholds breastchecks are free and they aim to get women in and hopefully out asap with no need even to lnow if you are on a medical card are not. I was v impressed with the care given to me when i had a medical card.

My friend told an American about this and the American's reaction was "arent you furious that your taxes are spent giving women free breast checks?".

Im not blaming the person who said that. That is the culture that prevails there. It is heartless.

But @LiveInAHidingPlace is right. Most Americans cant afford to see a dentist never mind get health insurance. 60 million americans have no health insurance . Meanwhile, I was treated by consultants who genuinely had no knowledge whether i was on a medical card or not when i was at breast clinic. I had the same dignity. Money wouldnt have bought me more dignity. Maybe it buys youfruit in a bowl and a carpark closer to the suite though.

Lived in the uk for years and the system is to be envied. Free healthcare no questions asked. You'd need a brain scan to reject that system.

I agree that if you dont see a doc until you are dying then you could slip through the statistics very easily.

Ah, it's always a treat to run into a MN'er who's an expert on the US health care system.

Most Americans cant afford to see a dentist

77% of Americans have dental insurance. Most of the rest just pay out of pocket.

www.nadp.org/Dental_Benefits_Basics/Dental_BB_1.aspx

never mind get health insurance. 60 million americans have no health insurance

I'm not sure where you got that from, but the actual number is 28 million.

www.census.gov/library/publications/2018/demo/p60-264.html

I agree that if you dont see a doc until you are dying then you could slip through the statistics very easily.

Nope. Mortality statistics are drawn from the cause of death on the death certificate, which would be terminal cancer.

I've met tons of Americans who think America is the free-est country in the world

A large proportion of Americans, probably more than in any other Western country, have never travelled outside their own shores and do believe what they're told by 'authority'. I recall attending a Tattoo on the Ellipse, the White House back-garden sort of, the commentator introduced 'the finest drill team in the world' and the crowd were on their feet cheering OOO ESSS AYYY, but as OH commented They're good, but not that good, they need to come to Edinburgh you can't do that properly on grass!
The best informed people we've spoken with in the US are those who've travelled most.
I know that this won't go down well on MN, naughty step even from HQ, but many have said that because their news coverage can be so poor, even US news, they often go to the BBC or Daily Mail websites!!!

I'm not sure where you got that from, but the actual number is 28 million.

This correction has completely transformed my opinion of US healthcare.

"77% of Americans have dental insurance."

Cool. It's 100% in the UK.

Cool. It's 100% in the UK.

With plenty of people unable to access a dentist at all due to staff shortages.

Ah, it's always a treat to run into a MN'er who's an expert on the US health care system.

Of all the misconceptions about the US that prevail on MN, this one is the most flagrant. Yes, we do have serious problems with our healthcare system, and I support a single payer system (as in Medicare for all promoted by presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren), but there are many programs, which vary by state, that provide medical care to low-income people, especially children.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is that, generally speaking, I think that the US does a better job than many countries, including the countries of the UK, in supporting children in schools who have special educational needs.

the US does a better job than many countries, including the countries of the UK, in supporting children in schools who have special educational needs.

I can't compare it to other countries, but my DS who was language delayed got excellent SEN support. The school district sent a qualified speech therapist to the house twice a week for over a year before he even started school, then gave him additional support once he started. They receive additional funding from the state for every child identified as SEN, which ironically made it hard to get him mainstreamed when he no longer needed the extra help - they didn't want to give up the extra money.

My friend told an American about this and the American's reaction was "arent you furious that your taxes are spent giving women free breast checks?".

I would be ashamed if I thought like that - how bloody selfish, of course, it wont ever happen to them

My friend told an American about this and the American's reaction was "arent you furious that your taxes are spent giving women free breast checks?".

What a dimwit. Millions of American women's breast checks are funded by taxes.

Anyone who has Medicare, Medicaid, VA care, subsidised Obamacare is getting their healthcare subsidised by the taxpayer.

Anyone who works for the government is getting their insurance premiums heavily subsidised by the taxpayer.

Not to mention all the women getting their breast checks from Planned Parenthood.

Millions more Americans are getting their healthcare paid for or provided by the taxpayer than there are British people getting theirs via the NHS. We're all paying for it - and that's absolutely fine by me.

I think that many people will always equate the US with whomever is chosen as President.

Though Donald Trump is probably the second worst US born person in politics, the worst is the leader of the Conservative Party in the UK.

I'm on the side of the ordinary American!! It shouldnt be just accepted that they have to huge amounts of their income on health insurance! I resent spending 50e pm tbh.

I think American citizens accept things because they just assume they are lucky.

@Livinginahidingplace In other words, you didn't do research before you made a completely inaccurate point, and now you're just making shit up.

Meanwhile, from the BBC: The human cost of insulin in America:
www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/world-us-canada-47491964

I personally make a big distinction between US foreign policy (which I often criticise) and Americans as a people. I am very critical of the US as a state in some areas but I'm not anti American at all.

Most people I know don’t actively dislike Americans but don’t really like them either

Let me explain a few things to anyone who is confused. 1. People in the US spend money on insurance--but then they spend less on the taxes that go to the NHS. Some tax money does go to publicly funded health care, however, because poor people and old people get their health care covered by Medicaid and Medicare. Approximately 90 percent of Americans are covered by insurance and it would be higher except that asshole Republican governors in certain states blocked their own citizens getting insurance because it was "Obamacare."

Approximately 90 percent of Americans are covered by insurance and it would be higher except that asshole Republican governors in certain states blocked their own citizens getting insurance because it was "Obamacare."

This is a bit of an oversimplification. Medicaid is administered by each state, which allows them to adjust the benefits to better meet local needs. Traditionally, whatever each state spend on Medicaid was reimbursed by the federal government at a 50% rate. To qualify for Medicaid an individual or family had to meet federally set income guidelines.

One of the many things the Affordable Care Act (ACA) did was to allow states to substantially raise the income ceiling for eligibility. In other words, you could have much higher income and still qualify for coverage. This expanded the eligibility pool and the total cost because so many more people would now get coverage. For the first three years, any state that agreed to the expansion would have most of the incremental cost paid by the federal government, then those additional subsidies would phase out, leaving the state to fund the expansion. Anyone who is wonky enough to want to learn more can ready about it here:

www.commonwealthfund.org/blog/2019/fiscal-case-medicaid-expansion

The 14 states that refused the expansion used the not completely implausible argument that once the federal subsidies phased out the additional expenses would crowd out other vital state services in the state budget. Most of the states that refused the expansion are less well off financially.

Most of the increase in coverage rates from the ACA was due to the medicaid expansion, not people signing up for coverage directly under the ACA.

Sorry if this is too much detail. I work in health care and think that the ACA (and Medicaid expansion under it) are the best thing to happen for the system in decades. Many hospitals literally expanded, built buildings, added clinics, hired more staff, etc. with the additional funding.

I think that within 5-10 years we'll have Medicare as a public option for anyone who wants it. I don't think we'll have a dramatic swap for an NHS style system but that we will end up with a vastly fairer public/private hybrid system as you see in many countries.

I've often wondered why Americans bother to get married when they usually divorce within 5-10 years anyway 🤷‍♀️