I Was Treated to a Foreign First World Public Health Care System

Last Friday I learned what it was like to be part of a civilized, first world health system.

I was in England, staying at my godmother's house, when I got slammed by one of my chronic migraines. When I get migraines I usually resign myself to a dark room, take my medication and wait for the nauseating pain and blurry vision in my left eye to dissipate.

As I rummaged around my suitcase to find my salvation, high doses of Trexamet and Naprosyn, I discovered that I had forgot to pack them in my rush to the airport. Not having my medication doesn't mean enduring one bad headache. It means enduring about three days of completely crippling head pain. Instead of panicking over my fate, I picked up the phone and called my doctor in NY. I thought she'd be able to call in a prescription. No dice. She actually didn't even call me back. Plus, as my godmother reminded me, she wouldn't be able to call in a prescription because she's not part of the British health system.

So I resigned myself back to my dark room, put a cloth over my head and tried to do what my mother always tells me: "go to another place." Well, my godmother came upstairs shortly afterward and suggested that she could take me to that other place... a National Health office.
Since I thought getting an appointment there would require a referral, at least a day's wait and an exorbitant amount of money, I told her not to bother. She called anyways, got me an appointment for the next hour and we were off to the neighborhood clinic.

It was amazing. I filled out paperwork with my New York address, waited five minutes, met with the doctor, got a prescription, walked downstairs to the pharmacy under the clinic and was back at my godmother's house an hour later. Believe it or not, I didn't have to pay a cent for the visit. I did, however, pay a "private" prescription price for the medication that added up to about $30 dollars.

I'm not denying that there are problems with the British system. My problem wasn't life threatening, but it was temporarily crippling. For people with deadly diseases like cancer there are documented frustrations over access to certain treatment. My great-uncle actually got sent home from a British hospital because there weren't enough beds that day. He was scheduled for open heart surgery... an operation he endured the following week.

There will always be problems in a system that takes care of millions, but that shouldn't preclude us from not giving millions their rights to proper health care. What Obama said about energy applies to health care: "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." From my experience the British system was good. It was also good to my great-uncle. Even though he was sent home, he was treated. His immediate family didn't have to haggle with insurers or cut costs. His country took care of him. America should be able to do the same.

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Comments

[ProAmericanLobbyist]

Our American Middle Class is slipping away. Our children will not be Middle Class because of the cost oF Health Care and Education and the Lack of Middle Class jobs. Unions made the Middle Class. American need to wake up now or become a third World Nation.

We the people need to focus on fixing America's Infrastructure First and No Foreign Entanglements.
While America's Military is spread over the World, America's workers are idle. There is a job for every American fixing homes, sewer systems, road, bridges, water infrastructure, electric infrastructure, and railroad infrastructure, Healthcare infrastructure and Education. These are all investments in America.

Americans know We need a change. We voted for a change. It is time for a Change! Stop Socialism for the Rich (taxpayers dollars to Wall Street) lets have Socialism for the Middle Class.

[jsehgal]

Amen! And to this, may I add that we include the poor as well? They are Americans too, and very nice ones, if I may say so.

[seand1962]

having experienced both the national health service and the awful system that is on offer in the states give me the nhs any day, it may not be perfect but not one single person i know has been forced into bankruptcy because of medical bills it is disgraceful that after paying health insurance premiums for years the system that is supposed to cover the costs of an illness uses every tactic not to pay the ever increasing bills

[Ascoli]

American health system is a disgrace.
It's where people die and lose every penny of their lives to pay for it.
"Best country in the world"
Hahahahah

[ramal]

When, oh when will the United States join the ranks of other civilized nations in regard to health care for all?

[awryly]

If I was American, I would have a shorter life and pay more for that dubious privilege.

[dmyron]

if i were......­...

[awryly]

Having advocated, with the aid of compelling statistics, that socialised medicine delivers better outcomes at lower cost, I am afraid that you Americans are mired in the morass of vested interests that do not want to see their profits reduce.

Thank the Lord/Allah/my sainted aunt, I am not American.

[awryly]

American's sick and injured must accept that they are merely fodder for the capitalist system of profit-making.

Unless someone changes the system.

Obama anyone?
.

[Artemis34]

Sen. Sanders S.703

Rep. Conyers HR 676

Support them!

[floridafun]

do they allow for a public option? if not, no support from me.

[ntmessage]

We must only support a no tax public option. This one NEGLECTS all real costs, including waste and out of pocket and does nothing to bring down the cost to the same as other large countries with better outcomes.

Think we are stupid?

[Artemis34]

My Friend’s Story:

A naturalized US citizen, now back in Germany and enjoying their public health care, told me his daughter asked “Dad, you always say what you liked about the US. What didn’t you like?”

His answer “The uncertaint­y.”

When he told me this, I said “It is the certainty of knowing you are working without a net and the uncertainty of when you will fall.”

[canuck4barack]

I guess the moral of the story is, if you are an American in need of medical attention, you better hope that you are on vacation in a foreign country when the need arises.

There have been many reports on TV about Americans booking their holidays in Thailand or India, so they can get inexpensive surgery done and then recuperate in a nice location. They get both their surgery and the vacation for much less cost, then what they pay in the States for the surgery alone. Thailand has a very modern hospital that caters to foreigners and looks more like a resort hotel than a hospital. I think the story was on 60 Minutes.

I guess it's similar to going to Mexico and having some dental work done while you're there.

[awryly]

Doberdoss

Look at the statistics.

Socialised medicine delivers lower-cost medicine that extends the healthy lives of people. The US system delivers dollars into the pocket of insurers and doctors at the expense of the people they are supposed to help.

But, hey, it's the American way.

[birdynumnums]

Are we to think her visit did not cost "a cent"? Who paid the doctor, the person who checked her in, the person who answered the phone - how about the lights in the hospital + overhead? She got a free one on the British tax payer's dime! Who know what it really cost!

[leftcoastindy]

Who know what it really cost!"
Get educated! it cost between 25 and 30% of what it cost in the USA. And that's the point. The public option doesn't increase the total health care system cost. The system would cover everyone with the same cost and more efficiently, like ALL first world health systems except the USA.

[birdynumnums]

Just say that I am not educated and make an unsupported claim. Your word is good enough for me!

I am tired of people saying - hey, I got these services and it did not cost a dime! Well, someone else paid for your care - it ain't free brother!

[Grada3784]

In Britain and similar places, yes.

here, not necessarily. We have more than a few who work their money muscles overtime. In their greed, we can expect added costs.

Bible verse for the day:
"For it is the love of money that is the root of all evil."

[littleblackcat]

In this country we are taxed to death and get nothing for those taxes, part of which go to pay for the best health care in the world - for our Senators and Congresspeople!!! So many people have been brainwashed for so long about the "evils of Socialism!" that no one has the sense to think the thing through. Certainly people in other nations are taxed, and those taxes TAKE CARE of the people! Add up what you have taken out of your paycheck, the sales taxes you pay, property taxes, license fees, registration fees, insurance premiums for health, mortgage, life (a huge chunk of which goes to bury you), fees for removal of trash, and a few more things I'm not going to waste the time to enumerate. Compare that to the tax base of other nations and what the people of those nations receive for thosse taxes, and then tell people that socialism is "evil". The only "evil" is the strangulation we are all suffering due to capitalism. Capitalism does NOT work. Even Alan Greenspan has admitted this.

[Artemis34]

And even Milton Friedman conceded that we need rule of law [by government] for the economy to work.

[dobberdoss]

Socailized medicine has it's advantages, BUT it also has it's draw backs. That being waiting lists for critical operations, non tax payers who take advantage of the system, no incentives for the general public to really take care of themselves due to the health concious citizens getting the same treatment and care as those that don't take care of themselves, ie, smokers, alcoholics, obese etc

[Grada3784]

What about the sorry, but no list for those who have lost their insurance? That's quite a bit of a longer wait.

[jotunloki]

Or getting told that you have exceeded your lifetime maximum and cannot receive further care.

[awryly]

In New Zealand, our costs per patient are $US4000 (60%) less than in the US; our healthy life expectancy is 3 years longer. We have largely socialised medicine.

Go figure.

[nomoneynoworries]

I read an article about how children are not getting the appropriate cancer treatment in NZ because of a lack of doctors.Au­stralia has the same problems.D­octors do not want to work for the government.

[MrMike513]

I read an article that said aliens from planet Zantara were sucking the brains out of people in red states. I guess it must be true as well.

[rperson]

Maybe you should come to Australia and not read such misinformation about our country. Has one of the best systems for treating cancer patients in the world.

[dobberdoss]

They also have many people taking the p*** out of their system, some are even doctors! How do i know ? I live there 6 months a year

[pissedmichael]

Somebody cut and paste this and send it to Paul Broun. I lack the expertise.

[awryly]

As well as being twice as expensive as most developed nations, the US hospital system kills far more people than other developed countries.

Obama has a clue. Will US vested interests let him use it? Probably not. And you will continue to be stuck in the dark ages.