I would like to here from people in Canada and England what they think of there Health care. It seems like here in the USA we always here how bad yours is and we do not want to go to that type of health care. The funny thing is that unless we are talking about how bad ours is we seem to never here about how bad yours is. I am not wanting a Political debate about the Health care here in the USA, or do I want to here what we here in this country thinks about your system. I want to know what the people who live in these countries think of it and if you know anything about the health care in the USA would you rather have our system.
I assume when you say England you mean, the UK, which has 4 states, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Heath care here is free, regardless of your wealth, it starts 9 months before you are born and is there for you until you goto your grave. Tax payers fund it and tax payers pay for their medication. If urgent medical attention is required you will receive it very quickly, if its non urgent you have to wait a while.
As for the quality, it’s one of the best in the world. I guess your hearing about the tiny percentage of horror stories compared to the millions of people who have received excellent health care.
There are private health care plans available here too. Quite handy if you can afford it.
Yep, what Dee said 
- I’ve had surgery quite a few times (starting just after I was born), and each time I received excellent care in NHS hospitals. In the last two cases, it was urgent, and I was operated on within a day of being admitted.
Never had the privelege of the private healthcare offered here, but for me the NHS has done well enough. 
ROTFL @ Dee’s edit reason 
The problem with NHS is does newly arrivals (legals or illegals) with no contribution will also getting it at the expense of poor tax payers. Don’t be surprised that one day the whole system collaps.
SAMLAR,DEE,ARACH
While I agree some socoalized health care
has it’s advantages. The health care system here in
THE UNITED STATES is still pretty good. The problem
is most health insurance companies don’t cover
pre-existing conditions. That’s why most people
can’t get coverage. I beleive a better way would
be for corporations along with private donations like
MARLO THOMAS doe’s with ST.JUDES childrens hospital
which turns down nobody would be a better solution.
ZAP. p.s. while I think MICHAEL MOORE in his documentary
SICKO, his heart was in the right place. I in no way
beleive CUBA has a good health care system.
Also please excuse the picture it’s only
for humor
Hawaii was the only state in the USA with universal healthcare and they just killed it today after only seven months due to funding problems. Here’s a link:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081017/ap_on_re_us/child_health_hawaii
I remember when I was young getting a tooth pulled and getting an infection so bad my tongue swelled up the size of my mouth. The doctor promptly came (home visit!) and gave me antibiotics and anti inflammatory medicine. I was fine.
That was not America, I had just arrived in England for a 2 and 1/2 month stay.
11 months ago after vomiting so bad I got a hernia and lost 24 lbs in 4 days my doctor would not even get on the phone with me. She said if I was that sick to go to the hospital. She diagnosed me with the flu. I didn’t have the flu, I had Lyme disease. I went 11 months untreated till my wife made me go to her doctor, this fantastic doctor from Bosnia who diagnosed me in 15 minutes as having Lyme disease which was verified by a blood test in 2 days. I am now on my second round of anti biotics and feel like crap warmed over.
I miss the care I got in England.
I am from Canada … I have had 4 major surgeries, one with a 2 week stay in the hospital and 8 1/2 hours on the operating table with the head Neurosurgeon of the hospital… That alone without our national health care would have bankrupted me, not to mention the rehab etc… and I have also had 2 minor surgeries , one arthroscopic surgery on my knee… and several visits to hospital emergency…
Could you imagine if I didn’t have our medical care to help me? Could you imagine what it would cost me for medical insurance with my history?
As for the Quality? I have had good doctors and surgeons and not so good ones … Just like anywhere else in the world, socialised medical or not.
Cheers 
Dee-27 sorry for saying England instead of UK was using the terms used on TV the night before to say how bad Canada and Englands should have said UK system was and how we should never go to that system. My wife has worked at doctors offices for years and she told me last night that her office manager said in truth we already have socialized med. in the USA. That doctors and Hospitals can only charge the full amount to middle class people who have money but do not have health insurance. I just wanted to know from people here which I trust if it was really that bad in Canada and UK. I see it is not and what we are being told here is not true make you wander about what we are being told about other things.
[B]
Canada’s national health insurance program, often referred to as “Medicare”, is designed to ensure that all residents have reasonable access to medically necessary hospital and physician services, on a prepaid basis. Instead of having a single national plan, we have a national program that is composed of 13 interlocking provincial and territorial health insurance plans, all of which share certain common features and basic standards of coverage. Framed by the [I]Canada Health Act[/I], the principles governing our health care system are symbols of the underlying Canadian values of equity and solidarity.
Roles and responsibilities for Canada’s health care system are shared between the federal and provincial-territorial governments. Under the [I]Canada Health Act[/I] (CHA), our federal health insurance legislation, criteria and conditions are specified that must be satisfied by the provincial and territorial health care insurance plans in order for them to qualify for their full share of the federal cash contribution, available under the Canada Health Transfer (CHT). Provincial and territorial governments are responsible for the management, organization and delivery of health services for their residents.
[/B]
[B]Primary health care is the foundation of the health care system. It is the first point of contact people have with the health care system. It could be through a doctor, a nurse, another health professional, or perhaps through phone or computer-based services. [/B]
[B]Primary health care involves providing services, through teams of health professionals, to individuals, families and communities. It also involves a proactive approach to preventing health problems and ensuring better management and follow-up once a health problem has occurred. These services are publicly funded from general tax revenues without direct charges to the patient. [/B]
[B]A patient may be referred for specialized care at a hospital or long-term care facility or in the community. The majority of Canadian hospitals are operated by community boards of trustees, voluntary organizations or municipalities. For the most part, health care services provided in long-term institutions are paid for by the provincial and territorial governments, while room and board are paid for by the individual; in some cases these payments are subsidized by the provincial and territorial governments.[/B]
[B]Alternatively, health care services may be provided in the home and/or community. Referrals to home care can be made by doctors, hospitals, community agencies, families and potential residents. These services, such as specialized nursing care, homemaker services and adult day care, are provided to people who are partially or totally incapacitated. Needs are assessed, and services are coordinated to provide continuity of care and comprehensive care.[/B]
[B]The provinces and territories also provide coverage to certain groups of people (e.g., seniors, children and social assistance recipients) for health services that are not generally covered under the publicly funded health care system. These supplementary health benefits often include prescription drugs, dental care, vision care, medical equipment and appliances (prostheses, wheelchairs, etc.), independent living and the services of allied health professionals, such as podiatrists and chiropractors. The level of coverage varies across the country. Many Canadians have supplemental private insurance coverage through group plans, which covers the cost of these supplementary services.[/B]
I have no issues with our health care, while it does have some minor things to be addressed overall it’s fine.
Would I like a American style health care system, absolutely not.
Affordable Health care should be entitled for all and everyone’s issues should be treated in promptly and in a appropriate manner. Equality, not who has the bigger cheque book.
Does the medical care in the U.K. and Canada very depending on where you live in the country? In the U.S. it veries immensely. Poorer towns = crappy medical service. Connecticut happens to have very good health care, probably some of the best in the country. My doctor developed the Occipital Implant for pain management, I was in the first group of 20 people that got it in the world. I have often negotiated my medical bills with my doctors. I was charged $325,000 for Spinal reconstruction but negotiated it down to $197,000, that was 10 years ago!! ( Insurance company paid the balance). (If this sounds odd it was from a car accident, by paying less for medical bills, I got more in my pocket) I threatened to declare bankruptcy if the doctors did not negotiate the price. That is what sucks about our system. If you do not have the wherewithal to fight or don’t know that you can you can be left holding the bag. I hope this was not off topic, sorry.
Getting on the american system is off topic from what I wanted with the post but I knew it would some as long as the political stays out of it. All the post here seem to be pointing that it us in the USA who have a problem with medical care not Canada or UK. I would even be willing to bet if we could get only doctors, hospitals, and Patients working with congress we could get medical care for all here to, as long as we got the Insurance companies out of it.
From my point of view no one is getting on the American system.
I want to know what the people who live in these countries think of it and if you know anything about the health care in the USA would you rather have our system.
I just answered your question, and I said no.
My best friend is an American, I also have relatives that live in the U.S. as well, so I kinda have a inside perspective on what the U.S. medical system is about and I am not going to sit here a slam it.
[QUOTE=platinumsword;2142855][B][/B]I have no issues with our health care, while it does have some minor things to be addressed overall it’s fine.
Would I like a American style health care system, absolutely not.
Affordable Health care should be entitled for all and everyone’s issues should be treated in promptly and in a appropriate manner. Equality, not who has the bigger cheque book.
[/QUOTE]
If you like to be entitled to get the same care as privilege one then his going to pay for and put up the bill. Then how about everyone should have the same mansion as other well to do have it. What would be the difference between risk taking people and the one that take easy in life and never work hard or face the harsh reality?
[QUOTE=TCAS;2142943]If you like to be entitled to get the same care as privilege one then his going to pay for and put up the bill. Then how about everyone should have the same mansion as other well to do have it. What would be the difference between risk taking people and the one that take easy in life and never work hard or face the harsh reality?[/QUOTE]
The assumption that money alone determines the quality of health care is off. It can surely be a factor, even a big factor but I have experienced really crappy medical care while paying top dollar for it. I think the question of quality should surpass the monetary influences. Doctors should do a job good, period. They should do the best with what they have. That is now always the case. The idea that a lazy person does not deserve same medical care as a hard working person is also against the hypocratic oath. Part of which reads “Do no harm”, it doesn’t say, “Do nothing”.
[QUOTE=Zathros;2142871]Does the medical care in the U.K. and Canada very depending on where you live in the country? [/QUOTE]
It can do, where some more expensive treatments are concerned (some breast cancer treatments, some MS treatments IIRC).
Saying that, as I’ve only experienced healthcare in my hometown, I’m not quite sure how it is in other cities/parts of the UK…from what I hear/read though, apart from the treatments I mentioned above, there doesn’t seem to be a huge difference.
Wall Street Journal had all the major insurance company representatives on and they stated if all medical records were digitized and if all medical entities were networked the amount of savings due to wrong prescriptions and the costs of paper would pay for the medical needs of the entire country. If the world networked medical care the savings could probably take care of almost everyone. Instant knowledge accessible from anywhere. The scale of medical scare may be a factor in the distribution of care in any given country.
I stayed in Manchester, England, the medical care I got was great. It is a big city.
Yes there are occasional differences because of local area health authority rulings, but as Arachne says these are usually involving expensive new drugs that are not necessarily proven in randomised clinical trials. Sometimes they are used on compassionate grounds and tend to get emotively reported in the news media (understandably in some cases).
One aspect of this healthcare discussion which is worth highlighting is the difference between treatment of individuals (i.e. in the UK the National Health Service - NHS) and dealing with healthcare on a population basis (Health Protection Agency - HPA). The latter is mainly concerned with outbreaks of communicable disease; both in the prevention and control. So if someone comes back from holiday with salmonella, they would probably present as an individual case under the NHS but there would be implications for the various people around them who are at risk of catching it too. Usually what happens is that the NHS alerts the HPA and they handle the contact tracing and antibiotic therapy.
I know we don’t want a ‘comparison war’ with mentioning the US healthcare system, but it is definitely relevant to point out that the public health services in the US (the Centres for Disease Control and prevention - CDC) are generally acknowledged as a world leader in the field. The sheer vastness of the USA, particularly in terms of latitude, mean the scale of surveillance for infectious diseases has to be second-to-none in coordination. The climate ranges from that well above the Arctic Circle to that almost on the Tropic of Cancer (roughly equilateral to Central/North Africa, Bangladesh, and Northern Burma); which means that the risks of infection from various nasties needs to be handled really well. It’s all pretty much ‘behind the scenes’ for most people, but is also publicly-funded and thus no-one pays directly to benefit. So, for example, the fact that New York has not become an endemic area for West Nile encephalitis virus is probably due to the forward-thinking and preventative activities of the CDC.
Then there’s the funding of medical research through the NIH, which again the US spends a publicly-derived fortune on.