Listening to Obama's Speech at NAACP...

[iwiw60]

I'm getting sick to death listening to his rhetoric...he goes on and on and ON about health care reform and how it is a God-given right to good free health care...since when?

I always thought the Constitution of The United States provides life...liberty...and the pursuit of happiness...period. So where does it say that we are due free health care? Where's the money coming from?

If this health care reform plan passes the employees here where I work have already been told that there is a good chance the business will shut down due to the ridiculous taxes that will have to be paid.....oh just ducky....

Socialism is not far off for this country sad to say...

Sorry, had to rant...off my soapbox...

[RonOne]

The NHS was probably one of the best things to ever happen in Britain.
Companies pay a fortune to train workers to do the work required.
The NHS helps to keep those workers fit enough to keep working.
It may be cheaper to have a Free health service
than a conveyor belt of new employees to train.

[moonwitch]

I may have got this entirely wrong but I think in the USA, those who either have medical insurance and/or are wealthy are expected to pay for their health care and those less well off have welfare provision that covers them.

So...how is the 'free health care to everyone' any better?

Personally...if my understanding of the way the USA does things is correct...I think their way is better than the way we have in the UK

[SalusLibrorum]

I may have got this entirely wrong but I think in the USA, those who either have medical insurance and/or are wealthy are expected to pay for their health care and those less well off have welfare provision that covers them.

So...how is the 'free health care to everyone' any better?

Personally...if my understanding of the way the USA does things is correct...I think their way is better than the way we have in the UK

With respect, that's probably because you've never had to use it.

If you're unemployed, and have no insurance, you can't get insurance, and you don't get treated. My best friend has had to pay out thousands in treatment costs, and even now, when he finally managed to get a plan (he's self employed), he has still had to co pay stupid amounts of money.

I get the feeling that if you don't have much money, you're on your own.

There is a reason why many cut price travel insurance packages exclude the US.

How can that possibly be better than a system where everyone makes a contribution according to how much they earn?

[moonwitch]

With respect, that's probably because you've never had to use it.

If you're unemployed, and have no insurance, you can't get insurance, and you don't get treated. My best friend has had to pay out thousands in treatment costs, and even now, when he finally managed to get a plan (he's self employed), he has still had to co pay stupid amounts of money.

I get the feeling that if you don't have much money, you're on your own.

There is a reason why many cut price travel insurance packages exclude the US.

How can that possibly be better than a system where everyone makes a contribution according to how much they earn?

I already said in my previous post that I wasn't sure how the American system works.

I have regularly seen adverts for deals on holidays to Florida .my ex and his family regularly got there or has Florida moved to outside of the USA recently..

Perhaps an American will drop by and elaborate on what the OP started

[SalusLibrorum]

Well I guess my opinion has been coloured by my friend's bit of a nightmare experience.

The plan he ended up having to buy, because it was the only one available to him, is also costing silly money every month, and it's not a percentage, it's a flat rate that he has to find. Just imagine having to buy a BUPA subscription every month...

The holiday comment was because I've been comparing prices before buying insurance for my daughter who is off to New Mexico for 5 weeks at the end of August. There are an awful lot that exclude the US, and the ones that include it are quite a lot more expensive.

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across as abrupt.

[harold69]

I may have got this entirely wrong but I think in the USA, those who either have medical insurance and/or are wealthy are expected to pay for their health care and those less well off have welfare provision that covers them.

So...how is the 'free health care to everyone' any better?

Personally...if my understanding of the way the USA does things is correct...I think their way is better than the way we have in the UK

Please don't think you are dumb because you don't understand the different ways that health bills get paid here in the States. The only insurance service that pays all the medical bills that come down the pike, is the one provided by the government welfare system in this country. Every other insurance in this country includes copays and doesn't always cover all medical procedures. It would take a book to explain our different systems, and the only one that is completly free is the one mentioned above, the rest suck. Also the one mentioned above, those people are usually working the system, getting other benefits not provided for anyone but the ones who do nothing to help or improve this country.

[moonwitch]

Well I guess my opinion has been coloured by my friend's bit of a nightmare experience.

The plan he ended up having to buy, because it was the only one available to him, is also costing silly money every month, and it's not a percentage, it's a flat rate that he has to find. Just imagine having to buy a BUPA subscription every month...

The holiday comment was because I've been comparing prices before buying insurance for my daughter who is off to New Mexico for 5 weeks at the end of August. There are an awful lot that exclude the US, and the ones that include it are quite a lot more expensive.

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across as abrupt.

I wouldn't mind paying a BUPA subscription every month as they are very good value from what I have seen when I applied a year or so.

I decided not to have a BUPA subscription though as my medical conditions aren't covered so would be paying for no cover.

If you mean...would I pay the set amount equivalent to BUPA cover and actually got the cover that people without my medical conditions would get..then I wouldn't mind at all.

At the moment I pay NHS contributions and the medical help I should be getting isn't available in my area.

I pay for dental treatment, glasses and any medication

(if I could afford to...but I can't always so only have one NHS prescription )

and avoid seeing the GP unless she calls me in for an appointment...so apart from emergency treatment (that hasn't happened since I was a child) I really get practically nothing for the money I pay in.

[SalusLibrorum]

My parents had a BUPA subscription and had paid over £70,000 in contributions by the time they stopped it (when my father died). At the end they were paying £250 a month.

What did they get for that massive outlay? One day in hospital for my father (the day after he arrived, he died), and even then they charged for the ambulance used to get him there (as it wasn't covered), and £100 excess (which in my outrage I got them to waive).

Not very good value for money I think. The premiums might be ok when you're young and have had nothing go wrong, it's a very different matter when you're old or have pre-existing conditions (which aren't covered at all).

[harold69]

Well I guess my opinion has been coloured by my friend's bit of a nightmare experience.

The plan he ended up having to buy, because it was the only one available to him, is also costing silly money every month, and it's not a percentage, it's a flat rate that he has to find. Just imagine having to buy a BUPA subscription every month...

The holiday comment was because I've been comparing prices before buying insurance for my daughter who is off to New Mexico for 5 weeks at the end of August. There are an awful lot that exclude the US, and the ones that include it are quite a lot more expensive.

Sorry, I didn't mean to come across as abrupt.

Believe you me, you understand our system more than you know. There is no good medical insurance here in the States. The insurance companies advertise that they are the one to have, but there is NONE that let you go to the doctor or hospitol, recieve the bill, and just pay it.