So somehow or another I did something to my back that makes it hurt more than I've ever hurt before, except for when I had food poisoning for a week. It literally hurts whenever I move. It takes me 3 or 4 minutes just to put my socks on. Anyways, I called for an appointment with a new doctor ( I haven't lived in Dothan for about 6 or 7 years and had no need for a doctor till now) and set up an appointment for today at 10:15 in the morning. I showed up, spent about 2 minutes filling out paper work and handed them my insurance card. I pay for my insurance myself and it costs $210.00 every two months. I went into a room, got checked out and the doctor explained my prescriptions to me. I was in and out in 30 minutes and the whole thing only cost me $25.00. It even took me longer to get the prescription filled at the Walgreens that it did to see the doctor. Also, my three prescriptions only cost me $24.00. Now I'm slam full of anti inflammatory, muscle relaxers, and Lortab 7.5. I still hurt a little bit, but compared to the past 3 days I feel great.

So my question is for our posters outside of the US that have state provided health care. Would my experience happen in your country? I'm truely curious because I've heard of the arguments that we should have the government handle healthcare in the US, but I've also heard that state run healthcare in other countries includes ridiculous lines and poor service, etc. I will probably not change my mind WRT opposing universal healthcare in the US because I wouldn't trust the government to provide me with toilet paper, but I am very curious as to the validity of the claims that health care in countries with universal healthcare is a hassel.

I thank you for your insights on the matter.

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Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. ... I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask no one to live for me, nor do I live for others. I covet no mans soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.

Ayn Rand, Anthem.

That's the thing about private healthcare. It DOES work for some people, and it works well. But for the money spent, it ought to work for MORE than it does.

Another thing that doesn't seem to be discussed is the way people see healthcare as a strictly "either/or" situation. Since the government couldn't efficiently run a hot-dog cart the only other choice is the hugely profitable private conglomerates. I believe a single, national non-profit healthcare department, with semi-autonomous regional divisions and with MINIMAL government regulation, would be a much more acceptable alternative.

Of course, I'm not from outside the U.S. but that's my dos centavos.

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Not a day goes by that I don't see something that reinforces my belief that people are idiots.

I wouldn't necessarily oppose a program where free healthcare was available to those who, for whatever reason, can not afford insurance, but I damn sure don't want to have to give up my choice to pay for and recieve the medical care that I choose. The one thing that I can not figure out though is that I've heard quite a lot about how those that need health care recieve it, whether they pay for it or not. If this is the case, I don't see why so many people want to socialize it. I think that if we could have a system that had hospitols and doctors for people that can pay for it and a seperate system for people who could not afford it we might be better off. Perhaps with the absence of free loaders on the private system the costs for health insurance and service would go down and make the private system more affordable to more people. Hell, I don't know. Just a thought.

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Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. ... I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask no one to live for me, nor do I live for others. I covet no mans soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.

Ayn Rand, Anthem.

Our health system used to be really bad, with long lines, awful service, etc. But the government has pumped a whole lot of money into it, given the staff draconian targets, and it's much better now. Not perfect of course, but people don't die on waiting lists now. The average waiting list for an operation in 1997 was 18 months, now it's 3 months. The essential, life0saving ones are all much less than that. That's operations though, not emergency stuff or GP appointments, you won't have to wait for them, except maybe like a few days for GP appointments.
Your example, for example, would have been just the same here, except you wouldn't have had to fill out any paper. You get an appointment, turn up, go and see the doctor who gives you a prescription or whatever.
The main value of nationalised health care however, is not quality or speed, and it probably never will be. The main value is value for money. We spend, per person, half what you do, and our health is generally slightly better.
A few years ago, the government was looking at foreign health care systems to see what lessons they could learn to make it better. The one system they immediately dismissed was the American one. The American health system is renowned for being horrendously expensive. It's good quality, but not good enough to warrant that sort of cost. I remember one Republican poster on IAP saying "Do we really want to give the government control of 16% of our economy."
Is that figure accurate? If so, it's horrific. The NHS is 8% of our economy, plus a bit more for the private sector. And our GDP is about half yours per person.

Incidentally, can you guess what the most heavily privatised part of the British health service? Dentistry.
If you're an adult, it's virtually impossible to find an NHS dentist, they're nearly all private. A lot of them do kids dentistry on the NHS though. But adults pay.

Your idea of nationalised healthcare and private healthcare is what we've got. If you want to pay for private sector healthcare, you can, why'd anyone stop you? Saves the NHS money. The richer sections of society often get minor things done privately. But most people use the NHS, after all, why pay when you don't have to?

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... I am surprised at your insolence in writing to me at all. You know, as I know, that I bought this constituency... may God's curse light upon you and may it make your women as open and as free to the excise officers as your wives and daughters have always been to me while I have represented your scoundrel corporation.
I have the honour to be... your obliged humble servant, Anthony Henley
- MPs reply to constituent, mid 1700s

If I had to guess as to why people would complain it would probably be because we'd have people saying that it isn't fair. Why should those evil rich people get better health care? Um.... because they pay for their healthcare..... and yours too?


BTW, thanks for the info.

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Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars. ... I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask no one to live for me, nor do I live for others. I covet no mans soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.

Ayn Rand, Anthem.

The medical industry is incredibly complex, but I think America's problem is that our system is just too expensive. That leads to the necessity for medical insurance, if you expect to survive in America. There are some good companies (Not for Profit) and some bad companies (ones with shareholders). Government control of the industry won't work, medicaid proves this, and private industry seeking profit, IE Squibb, Glaxo, etc...and Aetna, United Healthcare on the Insurance end drive up costs so that makes it impossible to make an industrywide major change that makes everyone's lives rosey and healthcare perfect...while nobody pays a dime for any of it, which is what Americans expect...sigh

So, I just think our government should pass a law that Pharmaceutical and Medical Insurance industries...work at a "Not for Profit" status. It will definitly be "regulation" of the highest order and fought hard against by people with ALL the bucks and influence. If it would pass, the shareholders will dissappear and go bleed some other sector of the economy dry, and we'll get off that cycle enough to start straightening out the rest, which would be stuff like medicare, buying drugs overseas, government coverage for all who don't have it, etc....blah blah blah......and that's what my 4 year plan would be.

And new drug development would soon cease. Bye bye any new antibiotics, or AIDS drugs or cancer treatments......

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A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
— Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

Why would that happen? Not for Profit means there is still money for research. Be carefull with your answer, I work in that industry

There will slowly but surely be less capital from investors in a non-profit corporation. The profit incentive is what encourages risk taking, and new drugs involve risk.

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A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
— Robert Heinlein, Time Enough for Love

A lot of hardcore lefties do complain, but my view is that it saves the NHS money. Getting more taxes out of people is hard, after all.

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... I am surprised at your insolence in writing to me at all. You know, as I know, that I bought this constituency... may God's curse light upon you and may it make your women as open and as free to the excise officers as your wives and daughters have always been to me while I have represented your scoundrel corporation.
I have the honour to be... your obliged humble servant, Anthony Henley
- MPs reply to constituent, mid 1700s