Not very long ago, all things listed as being Socialist, Communist, or otherwise, non-capitalist or non-American were considered by most Democrats as vastly superior to our way of life. Michael Moore pitched this in one of his films, Sicko, where he basically downplayed just about every aspect of the US healthcare system in favor of the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Cuba.
The movie’s premise was that if you were treated in a Socialist nation where the healthcare is free and based on a not-for-profit system, you would be far and away in much better hands, medically, than if you had to seek treatment here in the United States.
For obvious reasons, the film that cost about $9M to make and brought in just under $25M was said to be a great financial success…but at what cost? It certainly didn’t present the other half of the story of socialized medicine where the wrong legs are being amputated or women are giving birth in waiting rooms. It certainly didn’t reveal the hidden camera video of the new resident in Canada who was seeking medical care only to find out that his “number” in line to see a doctor put him in the three-to-six month range.
The truth, however, is being revealed through no biased work by a washed-up director. Both the Canadian and the Venezuelan healthcare systems are collapsing in on themselves and that’s no surprise. What is a surprise is how quickly the systems are collapsing and may even disappear completely in the case of Venezuela!
We don’t pay “nothing”. We simply don’t have to pay when we access care.
In the UK, we pay 12% of our salaries as “national insurance,” while those earning over £866 as week ($1175) pay 12% for the £866, then 2% on the remainder. This covers us and our dependents for healthcare, with NO DEDUCTIBLES and NO CO-PAYS. Prescriptions are charged at a flat rate per item, currently £8.60 ($11.50). If you use regular medication, a pre-payment certificate costs £104 a year ($140). Children’s prescriptions are free, as are those over 60. Diabetics get free insulin, and contraception has no charge.
National insurance also covers us for unemployment benefit, sickness benefit if our employers do not offer it, disability, maternity benefit and a state pension.
All for 12%. How much does your insurance, co-pays and deductibles take out of your salaries?
Omfg, I can’t handle Americans you guys have lost the plot. Bye
Not a single Bill was sent to me and I received free follow up care every day for 2 weeks .. just awful here in Australia. And that wasn’t even an emergency….
actually this is the reality of the socialized medicine – waiting for months to see specialists or even your own doctor if on vacation – recently my nephew who is german and lives in Germany had severe complications after his bladder was surgical removed and the rebuild a new one due to cancer – what happened – well this hospital transferred him to a more specialized hospital for emergency immediate care due to his condition – now you think emergency the doctors would go attend to him – oh no not under the socialized survival of the fittest medicine – because he did not have an appointment and had not been scheduled to transfer they admitted him but he had to wait 2 days for doctor to attend to him – praying he would live long enough to see a doctor – what a wonderful system – by the way that happened in November of 2017 – it is getting worse the more freeloaders are getting into the system
Socialized medicine ! ! !
Rhiannon my family came here for a fighting chance for a better life with no guarentees but the freedom to pursue happiness we are Americans we don’t need to be cared for we do that on our own and at times struggle and die for it. No here you care fo yourrself your family and your friends. We don’t want the government to be our nurse maid. Once we truly bring competion back to our healthcare especially across state lines it will be the envy of the world again. At least it gives us something to fight for.
So you’d prefer to live back in the time before hospitals? Lol see you’re crazy af. The US is like a disease on the earth
The US rations healthcare based on one’s ability to pay it is inhuman.
The UK rations healthcare based on the recommendations of doctors, who determine protocols for treatment. If another doctor believes you need a non-standard treatment, they can appeal for you to have a different drugor treatment, but they must bring evidence as to why that specific treatment is recommended. New drugs are considered for the improvement they offer over existing treatments and their cost evaluated against that benefit.
Treatment can be withheld when there is little likelihood of an extended amount of good quality life obtained as the result of the treatment. People here know they will die someday, and we do not endlessly fight death. Cancer in someone with Alzheimer’s is likely to get palliative care. Cancer in a child will be treated aggressively. Life-threatening conditions usually receive prompt treatment. Due to financial cuts some treatments have lengthier waiting times, and there is building outrage about the underfunding if the NHS and the attempts to shift it to the American model of for-profit healthcare, which we see as wholly undesirable.
That is WHOLLY due to government under-funding and their attempts to kill the NHS to creat a for-profit system. We can see what a debacle that is in the US.
And in the UK, people are very supportive of the NHS. It’s difficulties are seen as the result of persistent attempts to starve it of resources, and the insanity of Public Finance Initiatives by Blairites, resulting in healthcare providers having to hand over large chunks.of their funding to private businesses that are “leasing” facilities to them.