British Expatriate Network

I can't imagine there are many Brits who are suprised at this and I still, after all this time, find it amazing how there are many Americans who are shocked or don't believe these fact to be true.

http//health.yahoo.com/news/178301

I know the reason for this being made so public now is because of the election and the center of discussion is universal healthcare. But will people actually believe it or care? For example, it brings into question the separation of black and white with black mothers suffering the most in these two groups. But will the majority blame black women for their inability to get themselves out of poverty, or will the general public realise that the system that is in place is what is at fault and not the individuals?

On the one side I am really pleased that this is being talked about more openly, but on the other I get so angry that these facts have been around for a very long time and are not new.

People here do put the blame on the individual.

"Oh, well they have cable TV but didn't think to get health insurance" is the Republican cry.

I think Michael Moore was trying to prove in Sicko that people that had insurance were also getting screwed.

I couldn't believe in a benefits meeting I had at work the individual from the Insurance Company said in it "It's worth bearing in mind that nurses are a high risk group to insure" when trying to justify why premiums were going up yet again. Odd thing is we don't actually pay anything for our own insurance, but there is a charge if family is included.

Don't think people really care until things start happening to them. And yes, America is No 1 at everything, so no, people won't believe it.

can you tell me anything America is number 1 at right now? number 1 at anything positive at least.

whenever I see standard of living tables, they're always the Manchester City of the industrialized nations.

Not being able to spot sarcasm.

I realized you were being sarky, but what you say is peppered with truth also. people believe this crap. Granted the UK isn't that great either, but at least we know it's flaws and weaknesses.

I get tired of hearing "Worlds only superpower" like it is something to be proud of, it's no good being a world superpower when so many people are feeding their kids ramen noodles on a regular basis and can't afford the basic essentials.

Well, actually I couldn't really think of anything the US is No 1 at other than still being the worlds largest economy - at least for the next couple of years.

I think the trouble with healthcare can only be solved when politicians get out of the pockets of lobbyists. The Medicare Drug Bill is the most devious part of corporate welfare legislation I've ever seen.

Basically, the government didn't even try to bargain down the price of drugs, so Pfizer and Glaxo and all those wonderful companies can charge three times the price for drugs that people in other countries are paying, and then the taxpayer pays for it under the guise of Medicare.

Excellent.

I really wonder why Americans don't get angry about the right things. Can't really blame the fact it didn't get on the news - it was reported in many newspapers and 60 minutes did a big piece on it. But they can get all irate about some single mother that has four kids getting welfare. Amazing.

It would seem it's because they don't know any better. I've had conversations with intelligent educated Americans about this. It seems to come down to tax every time. They are aware of the Canadian and British health systems, but feel sorry for us because we have to pay so much tax. It's an ideological thing, I think, for Americans to have as little government 'interference' as possible.

Of course, leaving healthcare to the market is worse thing to do because peoples health is not the first priority in that system - making money is. And we think the NHS is bureaucratic (so do Republicans). Have they actually tried making a claim on insurance?

A bit of a pet issue for me, healthcare in the US!

When you think of all the deductibles, co pays and premiums coming into the equation I think the Canadian and the British come out WAY ahead tax wise.

Of course then people will also cite waiting lists, but with 42 million uninsured, no wonder American waiting lists are small with 1 in 7 people not even able afford to queue.

Cable TV costs us $100 per month.
Family health insurance is over $1000 per month.

Not difficult to figure why some might have one, but not the other.

In fact, excluding the mortgage and food, all our other bills put together do not equal the health insurance premium.

I ran the math for our household, we are certainly worse off here when you add in the premiums and other costs to the tax burden - as compared to the tax burden in Britain.

Anf we live in NH where there is no income or sales tax!

That's interesting. I've meant to run the math on household income/outgoings to compare with the UK (it sounds like too much work!).

On the face of it, it seems we'd be better off in the US because the tax is lower. Of course, then you have to pay for everything else (health, even down to the kid's school things) which wipes out that tax advantage. Some say (including Brits I know) that it is better in US because there is more transparency - you know where the money is going, rather than a chunk of tax being taken. Maybe true but you need to be alert and invest alot of time in making sure you're not getting shafted somewhere.

I get peeved when people argue against an NHS style free health care saying that it isn't actually free. Of course, everything has to be covered with taxes but you pay those anyway and it's not linked to how much of a health risk you are.

Timbo
My opinion is that, if anything, there is less transparency and certainly less accountability here. It is much easier to hold a public body and government to account that a private body - such as an insurance company.

As I think is widely known and accepted, a major part of the problem in the US is the massive overheads and admistrative costs of the US system.
On personal experience, the most innocuous and routime visit to the Doctor generates at leat 3 or 4 pieces of correspondence from the insurers to tell me what they will and won't pay - which, given I'ave already paid the co-pay by that point, seems absurd. Int he UK there would be none of this.
Likewise, my insurer issues new cards at least two to three times a year, for n reason that I can fathom.
All these things generate costs that ultimately get passed on to me through deductibles (of $1000 per year per member of family), co-pays adn premiums. In effect the adminsitrative costs are self-serving - the administration being so wasteful as to be a reason in itself for itself.

This is but one small element of the whole system, drug costs, litigation etc eing other issues entirely, each with cost implications.

I thought about this a lot and came to the conclusion that as long as you do not have any catastrophic illness (cancer, et al) then quality of life (material wise) is better.

I am of the opinion that the US is one of the poorest countries in the world in all the categories that really matter, happiness, health, education and we could go on.

This can be a great place to live, but it requires you to adopt the mindset of the individual over everything else. There is no place for things such as society.

Interesting and relevant link
http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20186938/