SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - My recent experience of the UK National Health Service (long post)

clive bradbury · 10-20-09, 01:45 PM

Ok, Skybird, I bow to the master!

Whilst we are are the NHS/private healthcre comparision, could someone from the US answer a couple of questions.

How much is health insurance per annum? Obviously the cover will vary, but how about a ball park figure?

Also, what happens with long-term non-life threatening care? Whereas I am all for people looking after themselves, let me put an argument to you with an example.

My wife's thyroid stopped working about 15 years ago. As a result she needs constant daily doses of thyroxin for the rest of her life. Although the NHS does usually charge for prescription drugs (at a reduced rate) this does not apply in her case as the medication is required long term - she gets all her thyroxin for free.

Now, I am assuming that US health insurance would cover a situation like this, but let's look at the argument for the NHS here. Without the medication my wife would certainly be unable to work, through no negligence or blame on her part, and her life expectancy would be seriously reduced. Yet the wasteful, inefficient NHS provision of free drugs enables her to lead a normal life, work full-time as an accountant, and of course pay her taxes, thus contributing to society. This contribution is not merely financial, as she is a Girl Guide Leader, which is of course voluntary, but is again a regular contribution to our society (hopefully useful) which would be impossible without her medication.

Thus the NHS in cases like this is in fact a sensible investment. The 'cost' of any national health care system needs to be considered in far more depth than the pure financial 'burden'. I am assuming that health insurance premiums for my wife in the USA would be considerably higher, which would effectively mean that she was being punished financially through no fault of her own. A patient with diabetes would be another example. This is why I don't really follow the 'we must look after ourselves' argument.

10-20-09, 01:45 PM	#14
clive bradbury Captain Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: stoke-on-trent, UK Posts: 492 Downloads: 105 Uploads: 0	Ok, Skybird, I bow to the master! Whilst we are are the NHS/private healthcre comparision, could someone from the US answer a couple of questions. How much is health insurance per annum? Obviously the cover will vary, but how about a ball park figure? Also, what happens with long-term non-life threatening care? Whereas I am all for people looking after themselves, let me put an argument to you with an example. My wife's thyroid stopped working about 15 years ago. As a result she needs constant daily doses of thyroxin for the rest of her life. Although the NHS does usually charge for prescription drugs (at a reduced rate) this does not apply in her case as the medication is required long term - she gets all her thyroxin for free. Now, I am assuming that US health insurance would cover a situation like this, but let's look at the argument for the NHS here. Without the medication my wife would certainly be unable to work, through no negligence or blame on her part, and her life expectancy would be seriously reduced. Yet the wasteful, inefficient NHS provision of free drugs enables her to lead a normal life, work full-time as an accountant, and of course pay her taxes, thus contributing to society. This contribution is not merely financial, as she is a Girl Guide Leader, which is of course voluntary, but is again a regular contribution to our society (hopefully useful) which would be impossible without her medication. Thus the NHS in cases like this is in fact a sensible investment. The 'cost' of any national health care system needs to be considered in far more depth than the pure financial 'burden'. I am assuming that health insurance premiums for my wife in the USA would be considerably higher, which would effectively mean that she was being punished financially through no fault of her own. A patient with diabetes would be another example. This is why I don't really follow the 'we must look after ourselves' argument. Last edited by clive bradbury; 10-20-09 at 02:22 PM.