British Expatriate Network

One thing I will say in favor of California's health care system is their openess to every kind of therapy you can think of.
I was reminded today, listening to the John Peel show, of the guy with 'foreign accent syndrome'. He turned up at the hospital mid stroke, was stabilised and sent home and had to get an appointment with his doc for further treatment.
This syndrome is caused by insufficient response of the medical teams, usually hamstrung by regulations, ie, they have to speak with your own doc before proceeding with any major treatment. Paralysis of the tongue, parts of the jaw, parts of, usually, the right hand and arm, come from inadequate exercise, ie, someone standing over you with a bull whip saying try to do this.
When him indoors had the stroke, they were there the next morning, speech, occupational, physical therapists, standing in line working out how to get him synchronised with asap appointments that followed on from each other.
When they threw in a cranio-sacral therapist, having been in the bodywork trade for umpteen years, it's common knowledge that an MRI impairs the bodies immune system response and a rebalancing of the various diaphragms gets rid of this problem, I was overwhelmed.
When i think my girlfriend went all the way home to Liverpool to have her stroke, which was spotted immediately by her relative, a nurse, and because of insufficient data and people who knew her within the proffession, despite having all the insurance viable anywhere in the world, she came home, untreated past basic survival and wakes up nine days out of ten reliving the stroke.
It's definitely all down to money, insurance, the kind of doctor, the state and the attitude of all those concerned, especially the staff. Saving a life is a lot more than keeping a heart beat.
So far I think California is bloody marvelous.

Of course I can also say that the healthcare here is 'good'. I am insured, pay hardly anything for the privilege, and if I have any probs I get seen straight way. (I also get offered procedures/surgery I don't need, I reckon I could get a heart byepass op if I really pushed for one).
It's all very fantastic for me, it's just those I pass waiting outside on the kerb that bother me. I know they shouldn't, but they do.

From my experience, it can take a few days to get seen by a doctor because they are usually 'all booked up'. Same as the NHS.

Same feeling here. I see certain "classes" when I go to the doctor, dentist or hospital and I do not see the other "classes".

I know where they are - I've not always had insurance or that much money and went to a migrant workers clinic once, as well as a community health center that was also meant for migrants and/or illegals (no questions asked, donation if you could afford it).

I guess they were the lucky ones too.

And you take a child with a broken arm to the emergency room in the UK and you wait days to see the consultant unless you mention that you have BUPA or other private insurance, and all of a sudden the consultant appears within 5 minutes.

Hip replacements that don't get the physio afterwards to make them work properly. knee replacements not done until a person is 75 and by that time there is so much damage to both the knee and the hip and the other leg having to take the strain of the injured joint that a knee replacement doesn't work properly. Go privately and you get your physio as it should be, you get knee replacements at a younger age and are successful.

I too hate to see class being an issue but it is an issue here and back in the UK. If you can afford to have treatment done privately you go private. If you can't you have to put up with the system that is in place.

I am in an interesting situation. My wife has just changed jobs (starts today!) and her insurance does not kick in for 1 month. So for the next month we have no insurance. Hope I don't have a heart attack....or piles !

Did you not get offered COBRA????

Debs x smile

Canada's is one of the few systems in the world that is not two-tier.

There's only one system and theoretically you can't buy your way to preferential treatment.

In reality there is a two-tier system. The other tier is called U.S health care where lots of Canadians who don't want to wait turn to.

Exercising your rights under Cobra can be prohibitively expensive. Also many employers fail to advise people of their rights.

Lee is there any private insurance available in Canada at all? Like BUPA?

I know in 2000 cobra coverage ran about $600 per month. Today it is about $1100 per month for family insurance.

Thanks everyone for replying in the poll. I just wanted an idea of what people thought who had actually experienced the private and universal systems thought.

However, I don't really think that Britnet is a true cross section of "average" people. I doubt we have anyone here that lives below the poverty line and for the most part we all appear to have insurance. My premiums and copays seem to have gone up significantly in the past five years and I'm just glad we're not a family in poor health. I did once go to the doctor and said I felt tired and after about $200 worth of tests (only the part I paid) she decided I needed an anti depressant. It's like they don't want you to go home empty handed! I declined knowing the situation I was in probably had me down but it was just temporary.

On the other side of the curtain, there is so much BS going on in US healthcare it would make your head spin. Not going to bore you with the details.

Oh, and I found this article very interesting;

http//www.nytimes.com/2005/12/18/business/yourmoney/18view.html?ex=1136437200&en=b9f7306b4b7672fa&ei=5070

As it's from the NYT you have to login or register.

When I first lived here, it was below the poverty line and I could not work for about a year. I had no medical insurance and neither did my ex.

I believe Oregon Health Plan bailed us out a few times but has been cut back since then (late 90's).

We also experienced the joy of food stamps so although it may not look it now, I have been through some of these situations. Certainly, I did not qualify for much myself but as head of the household, I still had to play a part for what was then my family.

It was definitely a learning experience I will not forget.

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so presumptuous.

I also went to the county clinic to get Lucy's hepatitis shot when we first got here through lack of health insurance.

I know one of the biggest problems is that once you are below the poverty line it is very difficult to get out of that situation. Just like in the UK, there is a point just after poverty that is difficult to survive in. Where you lose all benefits and amenities and end up worse off than when you were below the poverty line.

I'm sure over here that this place is much worse than back home purely from the health insurance point of view. Live on social security or have an income that is very low (generally government run job where you work to pay for your social security), you get your healthcare paid for, food stamps, living allowances and any other social welfare that is going. Community centres that help with childcare so you can go for job interviews and go to college for classes etc. But as soon as your income is over the limit, you lose everything and have to pay for all the necessities out of your own pocket. One lady here did a paper on this for her social work class (a student that I tutor) and explains how she has been in this situation so many times. Tried to get out but can't. She just keeps going back into the same rut because she can't get a job that pays enough or provides the benefits she needs.

I know in the UK this has been the same for many people too but the government is trying at least to help.

No problem at all - I just thought that perhaps most folks come here with job transfers, a working spouse or on a K1 with a temporary work permit that tides them over and I ended up living here with none of these, so thought I'd point that out.

I could mention the time we got the power cut off for non-payment of bills but it would start to sound a bit like the Four Yorkshiremen sketch...... :wink: