USA A-O-K? (NHS in general)

Name: Clotho

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Send message to member

Product:	NHS in general
Date:	29/12/01 (150 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: FREE to EVERYONE, Flat prescription fee, available to all

Disadvantages: underfunded, understaffed, long waiting lists

Is the USA the way forward for the NHS? Privatised health care? Perhaps, but Perhaps not....

Being both an American living in London I’ve had plenty of time and experience to compare and contrast the NHS to America. Don’t give up on me yet and turn over to another OP, the NHS has *lots* going for it. There are some positive and some negative in both the NHS and American health system. I shall undertake to compare and contrast the two systems, highlighting both positives and negatives. I shall also intersperse my own experiences in both an NHS hospital and an American hospital.

Value for money: Healthcare for all

NHS provides full public health care, with exceptions of medication (which is partial-payment) based on taxes and money raised.
USA subsides on health insurance, private monies and some government funding for the poor (to enable “everyone” to receive healthcare). Both work as such:

NHS: you work, you pay tax. Simple as that. Some of the money that is collected from your pay check goes to fund the NHS. Amounts differ based on what you earn. Money gets divided as the government sees fit, with the local doctors, hospitals and care workers getting a share. As there is a majority work force this approach, however under funded the NHS is, is a logical approach that guarantees healthcare for everyone.

USA: You work, you may NOT work. If you work, your job may or may NOT provide health insurance. (If you work for the government insurance is guaranteed). If insurance is provided by work, you may or may NOT be required to make a partial payment. (Most insurance schemes such as Blue Cross/Blue Shield require partial payment, not unsimilar to claims insurance against your car/house requires you to pay the first X£, so the insurance often requires the insuree to pay the first X$, usually either $25 or $50). If you work and your company does NOT provide healthcare then outsourcing of healthcare is
the next step. This is often tedious, and can be very expensive, not to mention penalising if you smoke, have any long term problems, or have a history of problems in your family. Some even require you to take a blood test! Finally if you do NOT work, and are on government benefits you get a “kind” of healthcare. This healthcare “entitles” you to be seen by certain doctors, and certain opticians/dentists. You get substandard treatment, usually cutting costs as much as possible, as the government is funding. The government tells the doctor what they may prescribe, what treatments they may use, and what tests they may run.


An ER. Hospital visit

NHS: Walk in, kind but rushed nurse asks me to fill out a form describing my problems, my address, and any allergies/operations I’ve had before. I then get seen by a doctor within an hour, get hooked up to IV, (With my request for a “numbing” shot first granted!) get given many series of x-rays for suspected appendicitis. First set inconclusive, get hauled back in for second set. Inconclusive. I get assigned a ward (Little did I know it but it was the cancer ward.. I was in so much pain at the time I wasn’t here or there). Was plonked in front of a TV to await admittance to the OR for emergency exploratory surgery. Five hours later, admitted, and a kind nurse wheeled me into the anaesthetic room, I was put out, and came around to a doctor telling me that they had “taken something out of me”. I was way to woozy to understand, and learned only later that I had a 15 LB Ovarian cyst removed. (The 15lbs were fluid, which was suctioned out. Apparently it was the size of a soccer ball. ) The cyst was undetectable on X rays, and was a BIG surprise for the poor surgeon expecting an inflated appendix. They also had to take out my left ovary, which was unsalvageable. I had five days of recovery, many of it spent on painkillers and a slightly mixed up lad
y across from me trying to steal my IV pole (attached to me of course). Had a little heart scare, and was amazed with the efficiency of the nurses and the doctor, they came right in, and hooked me up to a machine like they do in the tv shows. Scared the life out of my poor husband and his Mother and Father whom were visiting me at the time. It turned out my blood pressure was a little *too* low and guess what, yip, more IV fluids. The nursing care wasn’t spectacular, but then again, this was a training hospital. Thankfully they lady that came around daily to take blood was very gentle with the needle.

USA: Walk in to ER wheezing and choking. Seen by a nurse whom filled out all forms, asked for insurance and proof before treating me. Given tons of questions all the while I wheezed and had problems breathing. Took for a chest X-ray, finally got to see doctor whom diagnosed me with pneumonia spots on my lungs. The nurse escorted me to my own room, and attempted to give me an IV. I say attempted because I have a fear of IV needles (they HURT!) and requested a painkiller shot. The nurse replied “Don’t be silly, the shot will hurt more then the IV”) Three tries later, me screaming on the top of the lungs she disclosed the REAL reason for not giving me the painkiller, simply put, “She would have had to call for a doctor to approve the shot”. Good God. I told HER on no CERTAIN terms she was to get the doctor INTO the room and NOW. And that I was filing a complaint with the hospital against her. Five mins later, left arm comfortably numb, the IV was administered, by, you guessed it, the Doctor. I’m assuming that the doctor and nurse had words afterwards, but I’m not to know. All I *do* know is that that nurse no longer waited on me during my stay. On checking out the hospital again checked me against my insurance and informed me that I had to pay the hospital $50. Will that be cash or check?


Medication:
The pitfalls

NHS: Medication is a flat payment 6£, regardless of medication, unless you are pregnant, pensioner, on welfare or students/children, which medication is free. In this system, you can also make a flat payment of £80 a year, and get a “certificate” which enables you to have as much medication as you wish, only costing you the cost of the certificate. This is great for my husband whom takes an average of 8 different tablets a month.

USA: Medication varies according to “brand”, pill, and costing. It can range from £5.99 up to $1+ PER PILL. (take Viagra, it lists at $1.50 PER PILL, and is prescribed in lots of either 25, 50 or 100). Prices PER prescription can run $100+. I had to take some antibiotics, (the name which eludes me now) as a part of my pneumonia, which cost $20, and turned my tongue black! Bah! Another interesting fact recently come to light is that doctors often get “perks” from medicine companies for prescribing their “brand” over generic. These can be as minor as pens and paperweights, to major vacations and other outright bribes.


Hygiene

NHS: The doctor’s clinic is immaculate, with proper hygienic paper on the beds, the clinics for testing also immaculate. The only shortfall is in the hospital, which I’ve stayed. There was a distinct lack of hygene in the bathrooms, which had bloodspots and bloody robes hanging in the bathrooms. This was not a feature to one bathroom, but all three on the ward’s floor. I was a big wary of using the bathroom, after seeing blood splatters on the toilet, shower, and floor. I opted for bed baths and bedpans when I could get away with it. The rest of the hospital I must confess was spotlessly scrubbed. I cannot complain, after all NHS is under funded, and does a brilliant job with the funding it gets.

USA: This is where the states shine I’m afraid, and boy do they shine. All staff are kitted
out in scrubs with disposable gear, which they remove from room to room. (Disposable over-gowns, shoe covers, etc) I had my own bathroom, which was scrubbed, and scrubbed again each time I was sick in it (which was QUITE often). Floors were tidy and clean, and all the food brought to me was sealed and covered (just in case). The floor was so shiny I remember seeing my reflection in it. Fair enough if the hospital has money to spend, but perhaps shiny floors could be dropped in favour of numbing shots for IV? Hmmm…


Doctor Availability


NHS: Unfortunately it can take over a week to get an appointment with your local “GP” or doctor as we Americans say. Going into your GP’s emergency session, which ours holds almost daily, can counteract this. You may have an hour or two wait, but you will be seen. This is a positive venture, considering how overloaded the GP’s are (Every time I go to my local GP’s the waiting room is full and often people are standing…)

USA: You can usually be seen either that day, or the following day. If not, then within three days maximum. Often necessary lab work is done AT the doctors (most practices contain a small lab.) Nearer the holiday season however, the wait can be similar to the NHS. You can also visit “Chains” by making an appointment. This means that certain doctors work in a similar way to a franchise, and are endorsed by certain hospitals. You can call one chain and make an appointment to come in to the nearest chain at your convenience. A Mc. Donald’s of healthcare.



So which is better?

NHS: NHS serves everyone, regardless of status, insurance or lack of thereof. There are no “cracks” for people to fall through and be denied treatment. Each person is equal to the next. Prescriptions are kept at a flat cost, but the drawbacks are just as comely. Poor funding leads to inadequate treatment (Certain med
ical equipment being too expensive), poorer hygienic conditions, underpaid doctors and nurses and stretched resources.

USA: USA serves the needs of those that can afford it. Unfortunately with the USA’s system there is a good sized bracket of people that “slip through the cracks” and cannot get insurance free from the government, because they earn “too much” and earn “too little” to be able to afford insurance. This leads to this portion of the population NOT seeking healthcare and often endangering themselves and others. Prices with medication can verge on the ridiculous, and even in a society where you “pay” for everything costs can still be cut. The positives however (I feel anyway) Are better patient care, as there are often more nurses per patient, more hygienic conditions, less stressful stay, private rooms, better food, and faster treatment.

So which IS better?

I feel the NHS is. Although at first glance private rooms, better food and faster treatment may look promising, there is always a price tag, and in most cases it’s too high. The NHS helps all, and needs help.

Summary: