The NHS and Why a Social Health Care System Works Wonders for Me
Posted: Monday, August 10, 2009
by Connor Davidson
Having lived in the United Kingdom all my life I have got used to having the NHS (National Health Service). However, I am well aware that most countries don't have the same luxury as we do, but of which many are capable of attaining (hint, hint).
Having read many of the articles here on SW about the subject of social health care, I have noticed they are very mixed some are enthusiastic about socialised health care and some are taking the complete opposite view. A debate has now developed
Well, my experience of socialised health care is wholly positive. I have spent many a night in hospital in my time and every time I have been highly impressed. The last time I was in hospital was about a year ago. I was having heart pains and, being me, I refrained from over reacting and instead of using an ambulance which I felt I did not need I phoned NHS 24.
Now, NHS 24 is one of the things the government has introduced to ease the pressure on hospitals and doctors. You telephone the number and talk to an operator who is trained to deal with non-serious cases and hang up on jokers (of which I'm sure there is many). The operator will then - depending on the severity pass you through to a nurse who will work out what is wrong and what to do. However, if the nurse is unsure or it is serious you will be put through to a doctor. In my case I got to the nurse who decided I should go up to the local hospital.
I had the option of an ambulance but it was not needed. Thus, up to the hospital and into the waiting room. Contrary to popular opinion I was not there for 3000 years by the time I sat down and had a look at a magazine. Just as I had opened the magazine a nurse shouted me. Then through some tests, some drugs and hey presto I'm fine.
OK, from this story we should hopefully learn a few things about socialised health care:
1. There is someone somewhere who probably needs it more than you don't take services you don't need.
2. If you can wait; do.
3. If you are in lots of pain, it is live threatening or you are in a high venerability group phone 999 if not phone NHS 24 and they will take appropriate action.
In order for a socialised health care system to work effectively it has to prioritise. If you don't like this, go private, and watch the millionaires with a "wee" cough talk to the surgeon general while you on the lowest premium see the trainee doctor while you're having a heart attack. How do you like prioritisation now?
That is in essence the idea behind private health care the more you pay the better care you get. At the end of the day it is in the profiteering interests of the private insurance companies to find someway not to pay out -however unfair.
The great thing about the NHS is that it will look after you whatever your circumstances. In a socialised health care system it is far more equal: you are never penalised for being over weight or having very little money.
While writing this article I decided to look into private health insurance to get an idea of the cost and make a comparison. I have created the fictional man called Mr James Jones. Now Mr Jones is getting on, he is 90 and has smoked since before the war he insists he did not understand the dangers back then. Mr Jones does not have much money and is living on a state pension and has no savings left. Thus, he has decided to go for a basic level plan and he can't afford any excess as he has no savings to cover it.
Now remember that he is only getting 57.05 per week under a Non-contributory over 80 pension. I then went online for Mr Jones to find the cheapest premium I could. That came to 93.38 per month with the cheapest company. I work that out to be about 40% of his monthly income. Alas, Mr Jones is in trouble.
This is one of the problems with health insurance: the more you need it, the more expensive and harder to get it is. Not fair is it?
Thus, I think socialised health care is worth every penny that is spent on it. Of all the things you want your tax to be spent on this must be high up your list. Surely.
Connor Davidson is a UK based writer. He writes on wide variety of topics with his main interest being science, maths and engineering.
Feel free to reprint these articles on your website by using the reprint button. If you have any questions or comments please post them below - I read all comments.
You can keep up to date with his writings by following him on twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Connor_Davidson.
Feel free to reprint these articles on your website by using the reprint button. If you have any questions or comments please post them below - I read all comments.
You can keep up to date with his writings by following him on twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/Connor_Davidson.
This Article has been viewed 611 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
More commentsYou make a good point and I can say that the issues you mentioned is an ongoing problem with the majority of the western countries. It is human tendency to want what is available even if it is not needed. Its not just in UK, even here in the US, the veterans have a hard time making ends meet with their pension plan.Thanks for the comment.
I think nowadays society needs more people with morals. It is true that in our industrialized times the only thing that counts is money. I am happy to see there are some of us there with consideration for other human beings. Thank you!I agree.Thanks for the comment.
Very good debate, Connor. I especially liked your (hint). Well done!Good you picked up on it. I do hope you get a system as good as the NHS in the US.Thanks for the comment.My healthcare works well for me [thank goodness]. Maybe it's time I share my debate (smile).I would like to read that.
Connor, interesting but can you enlighten us Yanks as to what taxes cover this? I am sure there are hidden taxes, sales, and others that pay for this? Our family in Italy gets X dollars in their pay after all the taxes are taken out to pay everything socialism supplies. That is supposed to be "theirs", yet everything they buy or most evrything is taxed, am I wrong? PS: Now that percentage taken out as I understand it is substantial and growing.I see your point. As with all things (including socialism) it comes with a price. The tax here is not all that bad 15 on products and 10% for low income to 40% for rich people. So it's not that bad.But you get what you pay for. If you are ever terminally ill you will get 10x the services for what you pay in tax.Anyway, Thanks for the comment.
Hey Connor, I left this information in a comment on one of the other articles, but thought it was also warranted here. I recently had the chance to compare notes with a French citizen on their taxes and health care and education costs. He and I were about the same age and similar lifestyles in our respective countries. Turns out that there is virtually no difference between his costs and mine with all things considered. Difference being he doesn't worry about losing his health insurance or how he'll pay for college for his children...Yes thats the great thing about socialism. But always be sure to extend it to everyone not just the low income people.Thanks for the comment.
I am a retired RN.... I have seen our government make complicated many things that were simple to begin with - I hope our experience will be yours but am afraid I have my doubts. You did give me a tiny bit of hope though.If enough is spent and it is well managed you should be OK.Anyway, thanks for the comment.
Good points Connor,I would have to agree with you. I would much rather see our taxes being used for the right reasons as opposed to the usery it seems to be.Blessings,MichelleThanks for the comment.
I'm with you Connor. I would hate to lose our Canadian health system. It will be interesting to see what happens in the States. I have heard commentators say that what works in Canada will not work in the USA. I'm not sure why, unless it is because of their massive population. I believe the population of the USA is around 300 million, while the population of Canada is only around 30 million.The only thing I worries me about the Canadian system is if the oil runs out will you loose the system? Or will you have to pay more tax?Although oil gets a lot of publicity, it is only one of many, many resources that we have. There is also agriculture, mining, forestry, fishing, manufacturing, etc., etc., The list is long and we did well in years past, before oil became so prominent.I see. I was just that I read that you pay so little tax because of the tax on oil.I see what you're saying, but I don't think we'll be running out of oil any time soon. Just in the Alberta Oil Sands alone, there is extimated to be enough oil for the next 100 years. Then there are the oil fields in Northern British Columbia and those off the coast of Newfoundland. Apparently Saskatchewan, which is now mostly farming, has rich oil reserves which have not even been tapped. I haven't even mentioned the Arctic, which has abundant oil reserves. As you can see, our country is very, very rich in oil.So you have bags of time to find an alternative source of taxation.
The NHS is costly, difficult to administer, many times inefficient and infuriating to deal with. I would however, happily put up with ten times its current level of inconvenience rather than the alternative - a world without it.I see what you mean it is not perfect but it is better than health insurance.Thanks for the comment.
Connor, I enjoy your writing style. Your choice of topic is timely. Great perception that what American people need now is to hear the truth of tho the NHP has worked for other countries at the individual level, not the sensationalized media level. Even now, some of the insurance companies that we pay are using a similar "health escalation" system; i.e., talk it over with a nurse then determine the next course of action. It makes a lot of sense.I see..Thanks for the comment.
More comments
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.