To think the most shocking thing about James VDB's death is...

[Hitthebestbooth]

...that a famous actor, recognised worldwide for his role in Dawson's Creek (putting this in the first lines for the benefit of MNetters who love to comment 'who??' on these threads) struggled to pay for his cancer treatment? His death has left his family 'out of funds'.

Now, James Van der Beek had enough fame and affection from fans that a Go Fund Me has raised a lot to support his family already. But there must be countless families across America who are ruined by medical bills - if Dawson couldn't pay for his cancer treatment, how do non-famous people in ordinary jobs cope? What do their families do after they've been crippled by the costs and still lose their loved one along with their homes and security for their children?

As a millennial, I was so sad to read of James' death. I loved Dawson's Creek. But it makes me very afraid for a future where Farage gets his hands on the NHS and we find ourselves in this position too. I have plenty of bad experiences with our healthcare system and am not saying it's perfect. But if I or my husband are diagnosed with cancer tomorrow, we won't have to sell our possessions or ask friends and family for money or risk leaving our kids with no home after treatment costs. There are plenty of wealthy people out there eager to take the NHS apart and sell it off, and for all people say we'd get a European system and it would be improved, it seems far more likely that capitalist greed will win out and we'll actually get an American model.

James Van der Beek's death highlights just how ruinous that model is. He spent his illness selling off memorabilia and trying to raise money. He died knowing his family's finances were left decimated. And he was someone with more resources than most. It's a sobering indictment of how bad things can get, and I am truly afraid that a Reform government would put us all in that dystopian scenario.

There are all kinds of options I could put for a poll but I'm just trying to make it really simple.

YABU - US healthcare is fine
YANBU - US healthcare is a terrifying prospect

I agree, and we have life insurance. Due to my husbands pension I would get a significant 'death in service' payout and his pension, but if I didn't I would struggle to cover our mortgage and bills, and couldnt claim housing benefit due to owning our home. Which is very frustrating to have paid in for many years and never claimed any benefits, to then not be able to get support if needed.

I also worry we are heading for a Reform government, and place the blame on Starmer and Co for this. They have suppressed our economy, raised taxes, and education funding is worse than under conservatives. When people feel that no reasonable option works for them, they turn to the unreasonable one. Labour better turn this around and fast, or I dread to think where this country will end up.

I was just going to say something along the same lines. The US healthcare system seems to have galloped out of control but likewise I imagine there will be more to James’ story - e.g perhaps seeking alternative treatments which were out of the scope of insurance etc. Absolutely nothing wrong with that but the US healthcare system isn’t as black and white as ‘pay or you die’, there are alternatives if people genuinely have no funds.

I don’t like the US system at all but i think it’s quite the leap to assume Farage will sell off the NHS and transport us to US-style medicine. Reality is, with our ageing population, a NHS-system really isn’t sustainable in the future and I too would support a European style healthcare system.

So in France for example, it’s part funded by taxes and part funded by individuals who might choose to take out reasonably priced ‘top up’ insurance. Overall, people are no worse off financially but they have far better and quicker access to specialist treatment. It’s nothing like the US system but seems to be a happy middle, which my French friend tells me works very well.

I thought this. I will never understand why people donate financially to those better off than them. No child needs to be privately educated if you can't afford it yourself, let alone several.

What a horrible thing to say and way to miss the entire point of the thread.

That’s conjecture and you don’t know that. You can’t just ‘sell the NHS’ without bankrupting the country. He might not be a good person but he’s not that stupid.

I’m also very saddened by his death and the financial circumstances his family have been left with.

However, I don’t think the UK is currently the shining light people think it is. I have private medical cover through work and have paid to add on my partner and kids for the very reason that I’m worried the nhs would act quickly enough with treatment. I also pay for critical illness cover so that if needs be I can also pay for additional drugs that the NHS won’t cover.

I agree with you and it seems that as we are in the minority it is not talked about. You are correct about the widow’s payment, my partner died in his 30’s and we were unable to claim anything at that time as we were unmarried. Later, obviously this was changed and people were able to claim a level of back payment if they met certain criteria. The widow’s parent’s allowance was a weekly sum, based on NI payments, paid until children were 18 (if in f/t education), just to add it was taxable. This was replaced as you say by an allowance of up to £3.5k and a monthly payment of up to £350 a month (not taxable) for 18 months. That is a huge difference from being paid up to 18 but also when I was widowed I received nothing as we weren’t married.
There is also a disparity with receiving life insurance where there is no amount disregarded for this and everything is counted as savings for benefits, meaning many widows are unable to claim, yet divorced parents can be getting huge amounts of child maintenance and these are totally disregarded for benefit purposes.
Having said all this, I agree with op, I cannot imagine having to worry about also paying for medical bills alongside this. I would have been bankrupt and on the streets with 4 young children. Also, as far as I know, the US benefit’s system is nowhere near as supportive as the UK’s.
I am so sorry for your loss, it is very tough. I was lucky that we had some life insurance, I managed to work p/t and keep everything ticking over. They are all teens now.
For all those mentioning a European system, pls can I ask which system you are referring too. I only really have good knowledge of one of them and it is very different to the NHS.

All that would happen if we privatised our health system would mean the costs would go up and employers would have to pay for insurance for all their workers so costs/inflation would go up. One of the ways we are more competitive is that starting a business/ becoming freelance or moving a business here has low initial costs as you don’t have to pay health insurance for everyone.

Many Americans just go without health care and I believe if that were to happen here the chaos and costs would be greater than the cost of the NHS. No doubt the NHS is much better in some areas than others and increasing population by many millions and at the same time decreasing NHS bed capacity was a huge mistake. But I would put the work in to improve and invest rather than privatise.

I have a pre existing condition- how would these even begin to be covered under medical insurance.

Im someone who does think we need a rethink of NHS approach, European models seem to make sense.

The issue is with the NHS it is seen as free/entitled. So is open to abuse , sadly. Missed appointments, the access to it hindered by GP apt.

It’s just in fire fighting mode, impacted by wider needs elsewhere. As examples Social Care needs for the elderly - bed blockers. Or delays in accessing mental health, which often means people are at crisis point, rather that being supported properly before that point.

It needs figuring out, but politicians are nervous of even mentioning it as soon as it is it’s leveraged negatively by the other party.

This - The US model or NHS are not the only options.

I wonder how many young people (I include those in their 40s like my DDs and their families) can afford private insurance for health and critical illness on top of paying their mortgages or rent, tuition fee loans and basic cost of living. Neither DD ever has her nails done and only get their hair cut twice a year! Nothing to do with basic life planning if health insurance is unaffordable.

I agree that the NHS needs completely remodelling, ideally on one like the French have where they do pay into an insurance scheme. The system is also proactive e.g. women have an annual gynie checkup throughout their lives; a GP appt is same day or within 24 hours; blood test results are within 24 hours etc ...

As for Farage we can but hope voters are not so stupid as to vote Reform. But seeing how many voted for Brexit, I won't hold my breath.

It may be a lot to you, but it should be prioritised before takeaways, nails, hair, streaming services, pets etc etc. loads of people prioritise these things over proper financial protection, and they’re fools.

Not everyone can afford life insurance and sometimes not everything is covered, especially with cheaper policies which is going to be all some people can afford.

and then sometimes it is your child that gets cancer or another serious illness. I had savings which lasted about 0.5 seconds when my child had cancer and I was let go from my job.

A mum who wants to keep her children in the same school with their friends and support, after watching their father fight and lose a terrible battle with cancer is not a grifter. She is a mum doing the best she can to support her children to maintain some stability. Do you think the best thing for those children right now is having to change schools? To be the new kid whose famous Dad died and have to answer a whole loaf of questions from people who don't even know them.

People are under no obligation to donate, it's totally their choice. If they can't afford to donate then they shouldn't.

You are being unreasonable to use a celebrity's death in the USA and turn it into a political argument here.

A local hospital near me was declared in a critical state recently as it was overwhelmed with patients and were advising people to stay away from A and E as they couldn't cope.

It's all very well saying we need to protect the NHS at all costs but our population is too big for the NHS to cope with. Add to that an aging population and you have a ticking timebomb.

IME many people who order takeaways do so because they cannot afford to go out for an evening. Both my DDs have asked for vouchers at Xmas to spend on a takeaway meal which I was happy to give.

When we first took out a mortgage more than 30 years ago it was a condition that we both had to have life insurance cover. I don't know if that is still the case but I think it should be. The life cover lasted for the duration of the mortgage.

Absolutely the European model is much better than the US or U.K. model. My children and I have had so many bad experiences here over the past seven years that I am planing on returning before I get much older. Understand some systems aren’t what they were a few years ago but still not scraping the barrel like the U.K.

All pre-existing conditions are covered under my employer provided medical insurance. That’s fairly standard.

Yes same here. I'm not at all sure that it is a requirement now though.

My mom’s sister had a $20k excess / copay on her cancer treatment (she is US based)….

My private healthcare (employed provided) covers all my preexisting conditions.

You are very fortunate to have employer provided medical insurance. Is it a benefit in kind? I wonder what the cost would be if you had to pay for it yourself especially with all pre existing conditions being covered.

The NHS has many faults but compared to US system it is a better option.

Farage wouldn´t need to be voted in again. He would have more money than God and done what he really wanted to do re various subjects. And it´s not "any politician", he isn´t a politician, he is a grifter. But some people like learning the hard way, so crack on.