Universal health care.

[britlabour]

Firstly - apologies for this not being a news story but I really wanted to ask this question! As you know, in the UK we have universal healthcare. A couple of weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a conservative American tourist outside Buckingham palace (we were both spectators at the London Marathon event). I was telling him about a hospital visit I had had recently and he replied that he had originally been opposed to socialised healthcare - until he suffered from chest pains at Heathrow, an ambulance arrived within six minutes. Basically what I wanted to ask was - what are the reservations that many Americans have to free healthcare, funded by the taxpayer and evenly spread nationwide (or statewide as the case may be). I know that it SOUNDS socialist - but sometimes it is a good thing to borrow ideas that are good from an otherwise failing ideology, as the British Conservatives did with the NHS. Any thoughts?

[cynicalman]

What about people who cannot obtain insurance because of health reasons. They once may have had it but lost their job and cannot obtain individual coverage.

I am not talking about the cost ( which is another issue) but just be able to obtain it.

I used to think it should all be left to private sector but it has been and there has been no solution to date.

It's great to sit back and say the government should not be in health care when one has insurance or can obtain. And again I am not talking about the cost. What is the solution.

[yoe]

Yes, our Constitution does not provide for this entitlement - the constitution would have to be changed for “universal healthcare”....whatever that means.

[Red Boots]

Well, dental care is actually free

Nothing is Free. Your costs are either hidden, or being paid by someone else. Neither are right.

[JZelle]

In before the chest pains! Welcome to FR my socialist friend.

[Phantom Lord]

Wow! 6 minutes to get an ambulance at a major airport. I wonder, do they maintain ambulances on site knowing that tens of thousands of people are there at any one time and the likelyhood of several of them needing medical attention is pretty high?

Returning from Jamaica and having a layover in Flordia my wife needed medical attention while we were sitting around between flights and 3 paramedics were on her almost instantly after telling a lady at a ticket counter my wife needed help.

And to make her return flight home more comfortable, and her more accessable to staff in case of an emergency, we were moved to first class, front row.

I don't think an incident at an airport, especially one of the worlds largest is a very good example to use.

How about a 70 year old guy needing a hip replacement in London vs. NYC.

Would you like to take on that comparrison?

[Alberta's Child]

I wonder if your so-called “conservative American tourist” is all that conservative to begin with. At a minimum, he needs a basic education in economics before making a decision on a subject of such enormous proportions based on his own personal experience in a major European airport.

[trane250]

I made use of the UK’s health care system several years ago while visiting London. It was on a Sunday and I was suffering from an infected ingrown toenail. The reception desk at the hotel directed me to a nearby hospital (I forget the name). I waited just 20 minutes to see a physician. The doctor told me that he really should send me to the chiropodist (they don't use the term “podiatrist” in the UK) on Monday, but since I was in such pain, he cut out the nail himself and gave me a prescription for an antibiotic which I took to the hospital pharmacy. There was no charge for anything.

I can see why the people of the UK would never give up their socialized medical scheme.

[Phantom Lord]

I used to think it should all be left to private sector but it has been and there has been no solution to date.

Left to the private sector (the market)?!?!? HA!

There are over 2,000 mandated "must cover" items on a health insurance policy. That alone throws it out of "the market".

[evets]

I want a pony.

[contemplator]

Actually that was very clear, and an important distinction. However.. Having been in the military myself and being exposed to the miltary healthcare system which works in effect exactly the same as any other socialized miedicine system I can point out a few of it’s detractor’s.

1. We had no choice when it came to who our physician was, whoever happened to be on duty that day was who we got and there was no way to determine whether or not our caregiver was brilliant or just barely adequate.

2. Because people would use the system to get out of work, the doctor’s had a tendency to not believe you when you described your issues and would often tell you the equivalent of ‘take two aspirin and call me in the morning if it still bothering you’. I had a personal experience with this suffering from bronchitis and it was only after my lungs had become infected and I had passsed out on my commander that I was finally given appropriate treatment.

3. If caregiver’s are making a flat fee there is no incentive to put in extra hours or go above and beyond the call of duty.

[poobear]

How special you Socialist Moron! Sign up today and pic a major scab...

Why don’t you tell me how you feel about the UK health care when your child is sick but there is no diagnosis withing several years. Oh, yeah he/she still gets medical attention right?

Let me know when you visit your child’s grave how good you feel then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[britlabour]

Though it is cheaper.

[britlabour]

Okay here's another - what about the low paid worker who has refused promotion because he wants to keep helping the public on the front line. Should he really be denied health care because he didn't want to be bumped up the chain of command? Lets face it, well paid or not we are all equal in front of the law, so why not in front of the doc?

[Old North State]

RE: Your tax rates discussion, rates here in the US are marginal rates as well. As for health care; the downside of socialized medicine is related to quality and rationing. Health care in the UK is good but not great, that is why people who can afford it come to the US for treatment, it is why I never used the NHS when I lived in the UK, I didn't have to. We may all be faced with socialized medicine as the only alternative to deal with aging populations, but let's be clear, it is a sub optimal solution for patients.

[Tired of Taxes]

The onus is on you to show how your nation’s healthcare system is better than ours.

Our system is not perfect, but it’s considered the best in the world. There is already some government control of our medical system. Why should we put it completely under government control? What do you believe the benefits would be?

[mnehring]

what about the low paid worker who has refused promotion because he wants to keep helping the public on the front line. Should he really be denied health care because he didn't want to be bumped up the chain of command?

Two parts.. First, he freely chose the situation he is in, why should the government regulate consequences of choices you make? Second, no one is denied health care in our system, that is a common myth. Emergency services can never be denied and the very poor do have Medicaid. When you are talking about universal healthcare, you are not talking about the poorest of the poor losing emergency services. If the market where truly free, your friend could freely choose the plan that best serves him, just like food. If a person needs food, they can choose cheap fish and chips, or they can, if they can afford it, choose to go to one of Ramsey's places. If the market where free, you would have companies offer services to all potential customer bases. In a universal system, even the poor person has to pay a chunk of the rich person's visiting Ramesey's place (using the food analogy.) Why should the poor have to subsidize the middle class and rich?

[marinamuffy]

I have always been opposed to government-control healthcare just because the government always makes a mess of anything it tries to "help".

President Reagan said it best: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help'!"

After reading a few news stories (two I remember specifically out of Canada and Austrialia) about doctors/courts ordering patients killed against the wishes of their families because their case was "hopeless" I am terrified of socialized medicine.

This has a personal connection to me because last fall my cousin had a massive stroke during surgery to remove a tumor behind her eye and the doctors basically said the situation was "hopeless" but her family refused to give up. She began to be responsive two months later and can now speak in sentences, recall information (like phone numbers & song lyrics), sit up on her own, and even stand if holding on to a walker.

I shudder to think of what would have happened had the govenment been in charge of deciding when to give up.

[Hoodlum91]

You only think that because it’s already being taken out of your paycheck. It’s the great illusion. You are definitely paying for it, and paying a lot. And if you don’t make enough to pay your share, than someone else is paying for you.

[Tired of Taxes]

what about the low paid worker who has refused promotion because he wants to keep helping the public on the front line.

Even the unemployed here in the U.S. cannot be denied healthcare at our hospitals. Even if they cannot pay their hospital bills, by law, the doctors must admit them and treat them as any other patient. And our government does provide and/or subsidize healthcare for the poor.

[mnehring]

Though it is cheaper.

I wouldn't say that. I (and my employer combined) pay less than $1k a year for myself and my wife, full coverage, including dental and prescriptions. Can you say you pay less than 750pounds in taxes (trying to make the numbers balance for your currency) than I do for this benefit?

In some States where insurance is highly regulated by the government, yes it costs a lot more, but in States like mine where there is more market competition allowed, insurance is very affordable.