"The NHS is a precious thing. Try being ill in the US if you don’t believe this"

Debates

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Quiz Master

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@wajoma said
You don't want to know what the waiting time is for the cataract operation in NZ's UHC system, like knee and hip replacements you go on a waiting list and are virtually tortured into going private if you can afford it.
My 92 year-old father-in-law waited no time for his cataract
operation. In fact he cancelled his first appointment because
he was feeling unwell and they rescheduled him about 10 days later.

That was in Dunedin this year.

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1 edit

@wajoma said
You don't want to know what the waiting time is for the cataract operation in NZ's UHC system, like knee and hip replacements you go on a waiting list and are virtually tortured into going private if you can afford it.
Apparently 36.6% have to wait for more than 3 months according to OECD data. https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=49344

The figures are similar for a hip replacement (https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=49344🙄 and a knee replacement (https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=49344🙄.

Average wait times: hip replacement 101 days
knee replacement 110 days

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/116738965/public-surgery-wait-times-prompt-patients-in-agony-to-go-private

Or you can fork over $20,000 + if you can afford it.

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@sh76 said
Single payer might be called Medicare for all, but my strongly educated guess is that it would function more like Medicaid than Medicare. Remember, Medicare is not and was never meant to be a 100% coverage system. Almost every senior that I know has supplemental insurance to cover what Medicare doesn't. Plus, Medicare does charge premiums.

Something like the Warren plan would ...[text shortened]... wshelf.com/videocourses/videocourse/medicare-

I hope it's not obsolete in a couple of years. Heh.
It may very well be that a competently run Medicare for All program will result in somewhat lower doctor income. That wouldn't be a bad thing; US physicians are grossly overcompensated when compared to other countries making almost double what German doctors do and almost triple what French doctors do: https://www.medscape.com/slideshow/2019-international-compensation-report-6011814#2

Obviously, this contributes to the ridiculously high cost of medical care in the US compared to those nations:

"The U.S. continues to spend more on health care. In 2016, the U.S. spent 17.8 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on health care, while the average spending level among all high-income countries was 11.5 percent of GDP."

"A study of why the United States spends so much more on health care than in other high-income countries concludes that higher prices — particularly for doctors and pharmaceuticals — and higher administration expenses are predominantly to blame. U.S. policy must focus on reducing these costs in order to close its spending gap with other countries."

https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/journal-article/2018/mar/health-care-spending-united-states-and-other-high-income

"

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@no1marauder said
Apparently 36.6% have to wait for more than 3 months according to OECD data. https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=49344

The figures are similar for a hip replacement (https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=49344🙄 and a knee replacement (https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=49344🙄.

Average wait times: hip replacement 101 days
...[text shortened]... times-prompt-patients-in-agony-to-go-private

Or you can fork over $20,000 + if you can afford it.
Like I said, tortured into going private.

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@wajoma said
Like I said, tortured into going private.
(Shrug) Resources are finite even in Wajomastan.

I assume it's better for most to wait about 3 months than to not be able to get the procedures at all because their cost makes them unaffordable to the average person.

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I work in the UK and have private healthcare. I use the NHS for most stuff but for the really big stuff (I had spinal surgery ten years ago) I go private - company paid healthcare. I wouldnt want to rely purely on the NHS.

The problem that the NHS has had is that it's been made too accessible to everyone, so one of the things that we have seen is overseas visitors on "healthcare Holidays"; this is where they have an exisiting relative in the uk, who come of to "visit" and then need medical attention which they were getting FOC.

I'm not anti-immigration, but the uncontrolled way that we have have additional people flooding into the country over the last few years (hence Brexit) has put enormous stress on our services. At the moment it's difficult to get a GP's appointment, and lot of people will turn up to A&E to get medical attention intstead.

It's a good system which has been badly abused.

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@no1marauder said
(Shrug) Resources are finite even in Wajomastan.

I assume it's better for most to wait about 3 months than to not be able to get the procedures at all because their cost makes them unaffordable to the average person.
Not for the rich, though; which is all any Republican and most Democrats,, even poor ones, care about.

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@medullah said
I work in the UK and have private healthcare. I use the NHS for most stuff but for the really big stuff (I had spinal surgery ten years ago) I go private - company paid healthcare. I wouldnt want to rely purely on the NHS.

The problem that the NHS has had is that it's been made too accessible to everyone, so one of the things that we have seen is overseas visitors on "he ...[text shortened]... turn up to A&E to get medical attention intstead.

It's a good system which has been badly abused.
Source for these "healthcare Holidays (sic)" being a significant issue?

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@medullah said
so one of the things that we have seen is overseas visitors on "healthcare Holidays";
Evidence?

"Healthcare Holidays" is just an invention that
the Daily Mail and others have jumped on.

Stick to the facts.

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2 edits

It will be my pleasure.

My first source is the senior members of the NHS that I regularly interact with, particularly in pharmacy at Trust; Regional; and National level. I don't have to read about the state that NHS is in as I'm a regular visitor to the major NHS Trusts 15 times a month across England and Scotland. I hear it from the horses mouth.

But this might give you another reference point - feel free to take your pick.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1-million-to-help-nhs-reclaim-debts-from-overseas-visitors

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/nhs-failing-recover-unpaid-bills-overseas-patients-mps-report-a7556156.html

https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/27/nhs-owed-150000000-unpaid-bills-overseas-patients-10636586/

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@medullah said
It will be my pleasure.

My first source is the senior members of the NHS that I regularly interact with, particularly in pharmacy at Trust; Regional; and National level. I don't have to read about the state that NHS is in as I'm a regular visitor to the major NHS Trusts 15 times a month across England and Scotland. I hear it from the horses mouth.

But this might give ...[text shortened]... 6.html

https://metro.co.uk/2019/08/27/nhs-owed-150000000-unpaid-bills-overseas-patients-10636586/
So the NHS provides emergency health care to non-residents regardless of the ability to pay... as does every other EU country. The cost can not always be recouped... like in every other EU country.

What makes you think all or a significant amount of these non-residents came to the U.K. for the express purpose of seeking emergency health care, as is your claim?

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@kazetnagorra said
So the NHS provides emergency health care to non-residents regardless of the ability to pay... as does every other EU country. The cost can not always be recouped... like in every other EU country.

What makes you think all or a significant amount of these non-residents came to the U.K. for the express purpose of seeking emergency health care, as is your claim?
I haven't mentioned emergency healthcare, that's an element that you have just introduced.

At no point did I suggest or state that "non-residents came to the U.K. for the express purpose of seeking emergency health care" that is something that you have incorrectly read into it.

I will re-post the UK GOVERNMENT link, the UK GOVERNMENT is telling you that we are owed money. This is from the Department of Health and Social Care.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1-million-to-help-nhs-reclaim-debts-from-overseas-visitors

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@medullah said
I haven't mentioned emergency healthcare, that's an element that you have just introduced.

At no point did I suggest or state that "non-residents came to the U.K. for the express purpose of seeking emergency health care" that is something that you have incorrectly read into it.

I will re-post the UK GOVERNMENT link, the UK GOVERNMENT is telling you that we are owed mo ...[text shortened]... re.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/1-million-to-help-nhs-reclaim-debts-from-overseas-visitors
"Healthcare holidays" obviously implies that people come to the U.K. for the purposes of getting health care. You are dishonest in pretending otherwise.

This is not what your link is about, which concerns non-residents in the U.K. (who did not necessarily come to the U.K. for the purposes of getting health care) who receive emergency health care.

D
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@divegeester said
The majority of people in the uk and across the political spectrum would support an increase in tax to fund an improved NHS. This is a fine statistic so why doesn’t it happen?

Well it’s called reality. The NHS is already iro 7% of UK GDP and is steadily rising in absolute and % of GDP terms. The cost of the NHS is approximately £125,000,000,000 a year, 80% of which is ...[text shortened]... d service and there is no guarantee that anyone will notice the difference except NHS supplier P&Ls.
Since the NHS costs around £2,000 per year per capita I severely dispute your figure of a £2,000 per household tax hike to fund increases in NHS costs. The Conservative manifesto was promising an extra £34 billion a year, so the Conservatives think it's possible. Possibly Boris was wrapping himself in the NHS because he knows that the right of his party is not going to be happy with whatever the eventual Brexit settlement is going to be. Whatever the reason, the Conservative Party are not increasing taxes by 2K per year per household but are promising funding increases, so your point cannot be valid.

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3 edits

@kazetnagorra said
"Healthcare holidays" obviously implies that people come to the U.K. for the purposes of getting health care. You are dishonest in pretending otherwise.

This is not what your link is about, which concerns non-residents in the U.K. (who did not necessarily come to the U.K. for the purposes of getting health care) who receive emergency health care.
"Ibviously Implies" ?

What you mean is that you have drawn assumptions and you have no comprehension of the subject.

You have incorrectly linked Emergency Healthcare with Healthcare Holidays. Healthcare holidays are never never applied around emergency treatment - that whole idea is farcical. If you needed emergency treatment then you probably wouldn't have time or be in a fit condition to travel any distance, and certainly not across continents or countries.

Please don't accuse me of dishonesty to cover your lack of research and ignorance.

I had all this nonsense with you yesterday when you tried to say that you had documented proof that Trump had been complicit on attacks on American troops (and you didn't).

For your information here is an excerpt from the web site that you clearly can't be bothered to read hence your propensity to continue to talk out of your anus.

NHS rules state that trusts must never withhold treatment from patients who require urgent healthcare while they are in the UK, even if they cannot afford to pay.