Parm
Respect The Sound System
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it has its complications but there are systems in place for progressive inspection
- Thread starter skotl
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slim_boy_fat
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Stueeee
Old git
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There's a constant drumbeat about the 'evils' of "Socialised medicine" from the right wing in the US, especially WRT the NHS. We're the lucky ones because as yet, we haven't been selected by one of the NHS "death committees" that apparently we have so many of over here
I think that the medical care in the US is second to none if you have the money to pay for it. But I have met many people over there who are forced by lack of money or insurance to just put up with long term conditions like knackered hips and the like.
When I was working, me and my Dutch friend compared what we were paying......My NI contributions were slightly higher than his Pension / Health Care but his paid for an annual check up and that included scans etc and took a full day plus if you didnt claim within a certain time you could claim a stay at a health Spa and his state pension (slightly different to us) is higher than out state pension. They group Industries so welding is in the heavy metals group who organise pension / health for the whole group...
The US just has a different system, rather than being forced to pay people have a choice to have health insurance or not, for many good healthcare comes with their job - the flip side is taxes are lower (when considering all the offsets that can be made). Medicare is also funded by a direct tax and so people are opposed as they would then be paying twice.
The situation in this country can be similarly illogical, I have BUPA cover from work, I have to pay tax / NI to (amongst other things) fund the NHS, I then get charged extra tax for having the BUPA cover which would actually reduce the NHS costs if I use it?
Whilst the NHS is the closest thing to a religion in this country, no one has directly copied it and if there were a vote of tax payers to pay more, the same or less tax and accept the increase / decrease in the NHS I suspect there would be a few less hospitals! (although personally I would not vote for a reduction)
The situation in this country can be similarly illogical, I have BUPA cover from work, I have to pay tax / NI to (amongst other things) fund the NHS, I then get charged extra tax for having the BUPA cover which would actually reduce the NHS costs if I use it?
Whilst the NHS is the closest thing to a religion in this country, no one has directly copied it and if there were a vote of tax payers to pay more, the same or less tax and accept the increase / decrease in the NHS I suspect there would be a few less hospitals! (although personally I would not vote for a reduction)
eLuSiVeMiTe
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Watched this a few weeks ago.
mtt.tr
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Not pleasent
skotl
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That's a very glass-half-full impression of the situation. People who cannot afford to pay for insurance end up losing their house, or foregoing healthcare.
There are plenty tales of families who have to choose between paying for medicine and paying for food.
I have lived and worked in the U.S. for decades and there is no way you can convince me that theirs is an equitable system.
I am not saying it is a better system, just a different one - but what about house insurance, people have a choice and if they do not insure their house will lose a lot of money if there is a fire, same for contents insurance, people can choose to insure their car fully comp or take the risk if they have a crash etc etc.
I would not try to convince you the american system is equitable, but nor would I try to convince you the NHS system is, fundamentally life is often not fair.
skotl
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There are degrees of fairness, though, aren't there? The NHS is more equitable for the vast majority of people than the US healthcare system.
You definitely are not being turned away from cancer treatment (or migraine treatment, or a broken finger) in the UK due to your wealth, income or level of insurance.
(I don't see any point in attempting to draw an equivalence to house insurance - this is social welfare, not social mobility)
badabec
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Dr Pimple Popper on the TV just wouldn't happen in the UK or most other countries. If we get a small growth, off to the doctor, sorted. In the US, if you can't afford a doctor, it just grows. The man with enormous testicles a case in point.
www.mirror.co.uk
He also had money sent to him, which then put him over the threshold for State payments, so the State payments were stopped and he had to live off the donations.
Man with 10 stone testicles: Wesley Warren dies from suspected heart attack at age of 49
He became famous in the UK when Channel Four filmed a 13-hour operation to remove 132.5lb of tissue in June last year
www.mirror.co.uk
A timely reminder that i should probably get something like this : https://www.toolstoday.co.uk/xr940a...rn1uiY8mZJQPwk1SaXy9CNopjSFT-7pkaAl4tEALw_wcB
I only weld occasionly and almost akways on cars in awkward position, so LEV probably not easy to do.
Thoughts?
I only weld occasionly and almost akways on cars in awkward position, so LEV probably not easy to do.
Thoughts?
I am not convinced that the NHS is more equitable for the vast majority of people, those who work should see their incomes rise if everyone had to pay for medical insurance themselves? It is all a matter of perspective, but whilst I can see a great unfairness at someone who worked for most of their life but then got made redundant struggling to get medical care, I can also see great unfairness at someone who looks after themselves, puts themselves through university with massive debts then having to pay for the treatment of people with self inflicted medical problems who either never worked, or like a large number of people in this country, avoided paying NI through being self employed or various other dodges.
In the US cancer treatment is on medicare so people are not turned away, also if you do not have health insurance, hospitals will not turn you away if you are in serious need and they will then write off the cost if you cannot pay.
The point I was making is that there are more ways to lose your house than health problems and the state rarely steps in.
There are lots of people in the US (and many other countries) who have their own health insurance not through an employer - also keep in mind that IIRC it is about £3000 per person for the NHS in this country (and that is for all people, babies, retired, workers, non-workers etc), so it is certainly not free. The US is a bad example to look at for healthcare costs as it is massively above all the other developed nations for some reason. There are other countries that use the same insurance based system without the big hikes in premium.
