In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/8653700.stm

In the Land of the Free...A country that considers itself civilised.

I'm never moaning about the NHS again.

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

Flippin' nora. I can't believe Faux News had the nerve to hold up our NHS as an example of how horribly wrong US Healthcare would go if the Obama reforms got through. US healthcare is already a wreck, if you're one of those set free from employment by the recession.

Still, it's their democratic right to choose to have no health insurance, right? :rolleyes:

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

You're forgetting that the likes of Stephen Hawking wouldn't have survived if he'd been forced to suffer the NHS... :rolleyes:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2...ing-paul-rowen

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

For all it's faults and yes there are many the nhs is a lot more preferable then most systems in the developed world and still has some of the most caring and dedicated frontline staff anywhere in the world i am thankful most of the time for how i am treated by the nhs and wouldn't swap it or anyone in it for elsewhere.

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

i suppose it's better than nothing ,but if it's going to heralded as an achievement for the biggest ,richest and most technically advance country in the world then i'm glad i live in little old backward England

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

Well, at least they still have their freedoms! It may be bad but, hell, anything else would be socialist wouldn't it?

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

Free dental and eye care? Can we have some of that?

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

i thought we did ..for the unemployed anyway

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

I had to pay £100 for an eyetest and glasses at Vision Express.

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

Got mine at Poundstretcher.. just need them to start doing teeth now.

;)

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

Well I get free eye tests, but I have to pay for my glasses.

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

My husband get's free eye tests because his mother has glaucoma.:erm:

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

my new crown is costing £150- on the NHS shudder to think what it would cost private ,i get it fitted next Tuesday ,and that means the guys at work can stop calling me shane mcgowan ;)

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

I got one done a couple of months ago - £365.....

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

I get free eye tests because I live in Scotland ... :spin:

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

So would my husband if he still lived in Wales..

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

seems only us brits are getting stiffed then

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

Err ... no ... the 8 million or so Brits who live in Wales and Scotland are not getting stiffed. Only the ones who live in England. ;)

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

ah ,i stand corrected :)...us english getting stiffed

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

anyone who does not like the NHS and can afford private health insurance should have it. Then perhaps those of us who can not afford it might get better treatment and the strain could be lowered somewhat

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

something i have advocated for years but unfortunately we haven't had a gov with the guts to address that particular issue

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

Just as long as we don't adopt the US way of doing things I've no objections.Unfortunately like the US Health insurance schemes there are certain health conditions that are not always covered by private health insurance in the UK.

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

As a diabetic, I get fee eye tests and free prescriptions. If I moved to the US I wouldn't survive.

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

:disturbd:

would getting a job and health insurance be out of the question.

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

Getting a job is not the issue. I wouldn't get the insurance in the first place.

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

Quite a lot of health insurance in the US(and in the UK) specifically rule out certain pre-existing conditions at the time of applying for the health insurance.

Insurance is one of the biggest scams as they can pretty much slant it in their favour pretty much all of the time.You have to really read the fine print carefully with a magnifying glass

Re: In pictures: American's largest free health clinic
 

I seem to remember Thatcher saying something similar many moons ago, the problem as I see it is that in theory its a good idea, but practically it would certainly lead to a two tier health service.
As more and more "well off" people left the NHS how long would it be before those not benefiting from it got a louder and louder voice politically, complaining of the amount of tax going into a health service they didn't use?
Thats not to mention all the doctors and nurses who where trained on the NHS at taxpayers expense, now having a far larger job market to choose from, consequently forcing wages ever higher.
Within fifty years the NHS would be finished, slowly becoming the poorer cousin to the private sector, IMO the only way a system like ours can work is if its for every citizen in the country irrespective of ability to pay, that way each and everyone of us has a vested interest in seeing the NHS prosper.