Government Health care

Being young and never having had a severe illness allows you to have private health care insurance. In my case nobody will touch me,private health care,mortgage protection,loan protection or income protection so I have to rely on the NHS and considering my first operation was before the NHS existed and completely skint my parents and grandparents I am thankful it exists today
If you are fortunate enough to enjoy full health count your blessings because once you have been treated once by private health your premiums will go skywards
They are like any other insurance company,bean counters,and once you start costing them beans they hike your premiums or drop you like a ton of bricks. No doubt you have heard of cases where by failing do disclose some minor past ailment they have used it as an out clause
The NHS is not perfect but I genuinely think they do there best and I take my hat off to them

Well I'm going through the process now, of the NHS system. I'm making a habit of this, I had surgery in 07 which went without any problems.

My only complait is that I am having to wait an age for anything to be done, I was refered September 1st, I only got the MRI scan I needed yesterday. I need more tests, I won't even guess when they will be. It just such a long time for anything to happen. I don't understand why it takes a month for a report to wrote on the scan, so much time is wasted. I'm sure in most other walks of life delays like that would not be accepted.

All said and done, I wouldn't want to be getting health care in the states I wouldn't dream of entering there without insurance, they won't even look at you without insurance even if your really messed up.

The reason why it will fail in the US is becasue the medical insurance industry is worth billions of pounds, do you really think those in charge will let that go? Not too mention the American media, talk about brain washing!

Cowger - I simply don't understand the opposition to systems like the NHS. Of course it isn't perfect, but healthcare is very expensive. But if I came off my bike and was badly hurt, an ambulance would take me to hospital (free), and I'd get whatever treatment I needed - also free. It's not really free, I pay for it in tax, but it's free at the point of delivery.

Wifey has had a few breast lumps. They were all harmles cysts. Most women - wifey included - go into panic if they find a lump on their breasts. Here where we live, Anne can phone the consultant's secretary at Telford Hospital on a Wednesday morning and Mr Hinton the consultant will see her - on the NHS - that afternoon. Even the private sector can't beat that.

I think that one of the very few real achievements of this government has been to make the NHS a world class system. We (ie, wifey and me) don't have private healthcare, we don't need it, the NHS is damned good.

Originally Posted by Dicky Ticker

I like it because without it I would be dead------------simple

It's great when it works. My friends husband had advanced heart disease, and was put on the waiting list for a quadruple bypass.

He worsened and worsened, and eventually they went private and remortgaged their house to pay for the op.He was having panic attacks, basically because the stress was affecting him. When they opened him up it was a lot worse than they'd thought, and the guy had been waiting for over a year already.

Originally Posted by Ed

Cowger - I simply don't understand the opposition to systems like the NHS. Of course it isn't perfect, but healthcare is very expensive. But if I came off my bike and was badly hurt, an ambulance would take me to hospital (free), and I'd get whatever treatment I needed - also free. It's not really free, I pay for it in tax, but it's free at the point of delivery.

Wifey has had a few breast lumps. They were all harmles cysts. Most women - wifey included - go into panic if they find a lump on their breasts. Here where we live, Anne can phone the consultant's secretary at Telford Hospital on a Wednesday morning and Mr Hinton the consultant will see her - on the NHS - that afternoon. Even the private sector can't beat that.

I think that one of the very few real achievements of this government has been to make the NHS a world class system. We (ie, wifey and me) don't have private healthcare, we don't need it, the NHS is damned good.

With all due respect, of course you don't see the problem when you recieve such good and prompt care. The problem is, that's not available to everyone. A colleague of mine has recently waited 4 weeks for a follow up appointment for scan results on a breast lump, and will now wait another 6 weeks for surgery, which is too long, IMO.

It totally depends on area, and how stretched services are in that area. I was treated with physio 6 years ago, after prolapsing 2 discs in my spine. It got worse and worse, and after a year I went private as the NHS basically told me they wouldn't do a scan. Turns out the discs were compressing my sciatic nerve, and as a result of it being left for a year, I've been left with permanent nerve damage, and on painkillers permanently.

BUPA on the other hand- night and day, see a consultant within a week, and everything runs to schedule. And, another thing, because it's private, you can actually complain and they listen!

I think if the NHS was managed properly, it could be a really effective system, but there are so many disillusioned healthcare practitioners, and so many tenders and managers and red tape, it's totally inefficient. It's such a waste.

Originally Posted by metalmonkey

Well I'm going through the process now, of the NHS system. I'm making a habit of this, I had surgery in 07 which went without any problems.

My only complait is that I am having to wait an age for anything to be done, I was refered September 1st, I only got the MRI scan I needed yesterday. I need more tests, I won't even guess when they will be. It just such a long time for anything to happen. I don't understand why it takes a month for a report to wrote on the scan, so much time is wasted. I'm sure in most other walks of life delays like that would not be accepted.

All said and done, I wouldn't want to be getting health care in the states I wouldn't dream of entering there without insurance, they won't even look at you without insurance even if your really messed up.

The reason why it will fail in the US is becasue the medical insurance industry is worth billions of pounds, do you really think those in charge will let that go? Not too mention the American media, talk about brain washing!

That's exactly what drives me nuts, it doesn't take a month for a scan to be read, I work in a vets, and it's done on the same day, client back in for results the next. Our clients would complain and rightly so, if their treatment were delayed because of waiting for a scan and in some cases it can be lifethreatening.

I hope things speed up for you, but sadly it seems you wait two months for a scan then come back a month later for results, then make another appointment for treatment. It's just a bloody mess.

Originally Posted by Dicky Ticker

Being young and never having had a severe illness allows you to have private health care insurance. In my case nobody will touch me,private health care,mortgage protection,loan protection or income protection so I have to rely on the NHS and considering my first operation was before the NHS existed and completely skint my parents and grandparents I am thankful it exists today
If you are fortunate enough to enjoy full health count your blessings because once you have been treated once by private health your premiums will go skywards
They are like any other insurance company,bean counters,and once you start costing them beans they hike your premiums or drop you like a ton of bricks. No doubt you have heard of cases where by failing do disclose some minor past ailment they have used it as an out clause
The NHS is not perfect but I genuinely think they do there best and I take my hat off to them

I have to disagree- I've been with BUPA for seven years, and have had a spinal disc removal, a gallbladder removal, and a reconstruction of a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, and my premiums have risen by a very small amount indeed, actually less than my dog's pet insurance.

I was very pleasantly surprised.

Originally Posted by Quedos

having never used private medical healthcare and always used NHS i'm biased. its has its flaws as every system. had we be private my mum would never have got the treatment she had her med's totalled near £2k a month and that nots inculding the scans and all the radio active treatment and additional injections she needed over the course of ten years. Our system never flinched - BUPA and all other wouldn't touch her. BUPA and the like won't even look at me due to a pre existing condition - bad back and anything and everything linking to it.
IP has it a perk of the job - in and out in the day and fanatstic surroundings but everyone else i've known has had poor service and invariably contracted infections while in these private hospitals..


Don't knock anything till you've tried it then make you own mind up is my advice

Don't knock it till you have tried it, have you stayed in a private hospital recently? I was in Ross Hall and the food was amazing, private immaculate room, sat telly, phone,en suite.

Infection rate at Ross Hall is actually very low, private showers and rooms help hugely, and the claening standard is very high.

Another reason why I don't have private - I can't afford it.

Maybe we are fortunate here, but from personal experience I can't complain. Quite the reverse in fact.

S'doll---------Similar from me----I was told to go and lie on the floor of the local shopping centre because once they have admitted you they have to do something about it or risk being sued for neglect. Sorry state of affairs but in my case true.

This was my consultant that told me to do this as the waiting list was so long