In pictures: American's largest free health clinic - Page 2

**Maggy** · 03-05-2010, 19:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

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

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

03-05-2010, 19:07

seems only us brits are getting stiffed then

**Chris** · 03-05-2010, 19:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by martyh

seems only us brits are getting stiffed then

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.

03-05-2010, 19:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

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.

ah ,i stand corrected

...us english getting stiffed

03-05-2010, 19:21

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

03-05-2010, 19:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by zing

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

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

**Maggy** · 03-05-2010, 19:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by zing

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

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.

Flyboy · 03-05-2010, 21:29

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

papa smurf · 03-05-2010, 21:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flyboy

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

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

Flyboy · 03-05-2010, 21:35

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

**Maggy** · 03-05-2010, 23:46

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

frogstamper · 03-05-2010, 23:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by zing

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

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.