casper Oh NOOOO. Waiting for update on your knickers tomorrow. Why isn't there a "worried" emoticon?
scorp, cunty, cuntshine - I'm afraid I'm with the UK goyles here. My sister lives in the US and she has a treatable but uninsured disease which she is rapidly deteriorating from but can't afford treatment. For various family reasons she can't move back here unless she did so alone... she's basically stuffed. DH lived in the US for many years and at one point was temporarily unemployed=uninsured. When asked if he wanted to go skiing he just said, "are you mad?". Despite having paid a LOT of tax to the US government over 10 years if he broke a leg he'd be bankrupt. Or if he got run over by a bus. This is the experience of many US citizens every day.
I would be happy to see an alternative to the NHS which works. I'm not saying that the only way is the NHS way. But the US system is absolutely brutal and inhumane.
Even my nieces who are American are only basically insured as that's all they can afford, with high excesses. Recently one was treated for something and her parents had to pay an excess of $1000. How many of would like to find that immediately and out of the blue?
It is absolutely shocking that one of the wealthiest countries in the world has one of the most expensive - and yet least efficient medical service where people die every minute of every day because they are turned away for not having the money to pay.
I am eternally grateful for the NHS. In the UK we have the option of going private, as in the US, but EVERYONE has excellent and decent treatment no matter what their personal circumstances. That shows a country dedicated to its people, a humane country where everyone matters no matter what their income and background. Thank you Government for interfering with my healthcare.