# How is the health care in your country?



## Gael (Mar 24, 2014)

How would you evaluate the health care to be in the country you presently live in?


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## Warrigal (Mar 24, 2014)

Ours is a hybrid system - mostly private practice doctors and surgeons with some salaried medical staff in the mostly public hospitals. Funding comes from 1.5% income tax surcharge (means tested), private health insurance (subsidised), gap payments for services or bulk billing. Approved prescription pharmaceuticals are subsided with a per annum cap for people with chronic conditions. Once the cap is reached, all prescribed medicine is free for the rest of the year.

Health insurance is taken out by individuals and families, not employers, and you can stay with the same company for the whole of your life if you want or you can shop around for the best deal. Payments can be deducted from your wages by your employer on your behalf or you can pay yourself using any of the usual ways that people pay their accounts.

Waiting times for elective procedures are always problematic unless you have private insurance  and public hospitals sometimes seem to have forgotten that patients are real people, not just medical conditions.

Overall, I rate our system very highly but it is not perfect.
I wouldn't swap it for the American system.


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## Gael (Mar 24, 2014)

Warrigal said:


> Ours is a hybrid system - mostly private practice doctors and surgeons with some salaried medical staff in the mostly public hospitals. Funding comes from 1.5% income tax surcharge (means tested), private health insurance (subsidised), gap payments for services or bulk billing. Approved prescription pharmaceuticals are subsided with a per annum cap for people with chronic conditions. Once the cap is reached, all prescribed medicine is free for the rest of the year.
> 
> Health insurance is taken out by individuals and families, not employers, and you can stay with the same company for the whole of your life if you want or you can shop around for the best deal. Payments can be deducted from your wages by your employer on your behalf or you can pay yourself using any of the usual ways that people pay their accounts.
> 
> ...



Interesting to read this, Warrigal for I hadn't much knowledge about the healthcare system in Australia. And agreed about the US system which has been in crisis.

The NHS in the UK has suffered cuts recently, so there is plenty to complain about. But still, it's better then some situations in the US and certainly in other countries. As a pensioner in a certain category, I pay nothing for prescriptions or doctor visits. Waiting lists for elective surgery are long usually but once you have the surgery, you are fully covered and a carer package is arranged in cases where home assistance is required.

I am covered for dental, another plus. Even in the US with my then husband having excellent health coverage, dental was only 80% covered. Here I pay nothing except for cosmetic procedures.

Funding for the NHS comes directly from taxation and is granted to the Department of Health by Parliament.

Other UK people here will add to this I'm sure. The NHS has plenty of it's critics and like any system has flaws aplenty. My experience with it has been mainly positive.


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## Elyzabeth (Mar 24, 2014)

The NHS is not perfect...but it is so great to have, especially when you come from a country,
 such as America which has no medical insurance for most people.

 I was fortunate to be able to  have insurance through my jobs, but if you don't have that, 
you are in big trouble

Most people don't realize that there is health insurance in America for the very  poorest, ( Medicaid)
and it used to be pretty comprehensive,

Very much doubt that that is still the case though, I hear the Republicans have been having a go at it.

NHS???

Much gratitude  for living in a country that has it !

And, I get free medicines as well !
(meds free for older people )


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## That Guy (Mar 24, 2014)




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## Gael (Mar 24, 2014)

Elyzabeth said:


> The NHS is not perfect...but it is so great to have, especially when you come from a country,
> such as America which has no medical insurance for most people.
> 
> I was fortunate to be able to  have insurance through my jobs, but if you don't have that,
> ...



I agree Elzaybeth. I recall years back I had an appendectomy and though my husband had a good medical insurance plan, my doctor had to fight to keep me in the hospital because of complications. The insurance company wanted to throw me out. And like I said, we had only 80% dental even with the best of plans.

Medicaid seems to be in trouble:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/22/medicaid-expansion-rejection_n_3130702.html


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## Mirabilis (Mar 24, 2014)

For myself I can say that during the 70s and 80s and even into the 90s I had no complaints, I was in California and my employers paid my insurance.  I only paid from $4 to $25 per paycheck and the doctors in the networks were great. 

After 2000 everything changed for me.  Now I was paying $400 a month (I had a baby) and the network of doctors got smaller.  These days I have an employer that will not extend any kind of benefit so, I have to go though the Marketplace. 

The insurance I got gets paid $350 a month and gives me a choice of 6 doctors (all rated 2-stars out of 5) who are located in some town I would never drive into.  Needless to say, I feel like I am obligate to pay for insurance I will never use for wellness.  Many people here is South Florida just choose to fly down to South America and go to those doctors.


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## Gael (Mar 24, 2014)

Mirabilis said:


> For myself I can say that during the 70s and 80s and even into the 90s I had no complaints, I was in California and my employers paid my insurance.  I only paid from $4 to $25 per paycheck and the doctors in the networks were great.
> 
> After 2000 everything changed for me.  Now I was paying $400 a month (I had a baby) and the network of doctors got smaller.  These days I have an employer that will not extend any kind of benefit so, I have to go though the Marketplace.
> 
> The insurance I got gets paid $350 a month and gives me a choice of 6 doctors (all rated 2-stars out of 5) who are located in some town I would never drive into.  Needless to say, I feel like I am obligate to pay for insurance I will never use for wellness.  Many people here is South Florida just choose to fly down to South America and go to those doctors.



You sure can't be happy with that arrangement especially considering how things once were set up for you.

What do you mainly attribute these changes to? The different employer you presently have or other influences as well?


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## lonelynorthwind (Mar 24, 2014)

While I technically live in America, I live in remote Alaska which is a third world country of it's own.  Our island village of 1200 has a medical clinic with one general practitioner (and I'm not convinced she has a license).  Anything more than a head cold,  from a broken bone to childbirth, requires a medi-vac jet or helicopter out which can bankrupt anyone without insurance in a heartbeat.  I've never had insurance but now that I'm on social security I guess I'm covered?  Fortunately I seem to be an anomaly because I have no health issues, never get sick and don't even have a file at the clinic.  But I do work hard to stay that way besides being obviously lucky.

  As for dental care, we do have a traveling dentist show up from time to time but otherwise it means an expensive ferry trip to Ketchikan for a real dentist.  Keeping my teeth's what is bankrupting me!


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## Gael (Mar 25, 2014)

lonelynorthwind said:


> While I technically live in America, I live in remote Alaska which is a third world country of it's own.  Our island village of 1200 has a medical clinic with one general practitioner (and I'm not convinced she has a license).  Anything more than a head cold,  from a broken bone to childbirth, requires a medi-vac jet or helicopter out which can bankrupt anyone without insurance in a heartbeat.  I've never had insurance but now that I'm on social security I guess I'm covered?  Fortunately I seem to be an anomaly because I have no health issues, never get sick and don't even have a file at the clinic.  But I do work hard to stay that way besides being obviously lucky.
> 
> As for dental care, we do have a traveling dentist show up from time to time but otherwise it means an expensive ferry trip to Ketchikan for a real dentist.  Keeping my teeth's what is bankrupting me!



God, you really are in an unusual situation there. But do find out exactly what your entitlements are in health coverage. That you should say that you "guess I'm covered" is not good. And I do hope you stay as healthy as possible.


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## Mirabilis (Mar 25, 2014)

Gael said:


> You sure can't be happy with that arrangement especially considering how things once were set up for you.
> 
> What do you mainly attribute these changes to? The different employer you presently have or other influences as well?



I think it is our struggling economy that drives employers to run lean and mean.  Especially after our healthcare reform, many employers will no longer offer healthcare.  As for why the insurance companies offer so little in exchange for so much....   I don't know.  I am better off paying a dentist cash than paying dental insurance.


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## Gael (Mar 25, 2014)

Mirabilis said:


> I think it is our struggling economy that drives employers to run lean and mean.  Especially after our healthcare reform, many employers will no longer offer healthcare.  As for why the insurance companies offer so little in exchange for so much....   I don't know.  I am better off paying a dentist cash than paying dental insurance.



A sad state of affairs. And I think you've probablyanalyzed it correctly.


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## d0ug (Mar 25, 2014)

I live in paradise in more than one way. I live in the countryside in the Dominican Republic. Here there are hospitals, doctors, and lab tests which are free and the doctors will make house calls. There are clinics and you will need to pay for treatment. The biggest secret is to know enough so you don’t need medical help.


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## Gael (Mar 26, 2014)

d0ug said:


> I live in paradise in more than one way. I live in the countryside in the Dominican Republic. Here there are hospitals, doctors, and lab tests which are free and the doctors will make house calls. There are clinics and you will need to pay for treatment. The biggest secret is to know enough so you don’t need medical help.



Sounds like your signature message there may come true!


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## CPA-Kim (Apr 3, 2014)

The problem with the US healthcare system is it works best for the rich or the extremely poor.  We have so many uninsured people here and the voters will not support a one-payer system because most of them do not understand the benefits and lack of confusion that would bring.  The Affordable Care Act was the first step, but it was so compromised and so hard to get up and running, many got discouraged.  We need more medical advocates in this country because our system is too complex for many to understand so they just go without insurance or have inadequate insurance.


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## Capt Lightning (Apr 4, 2014)

The NHS in the UK caries from county to county and even more from country to country.
For example, England lags behind the rest of the UK in terms of free prescriptions, eye tests, hospital parking  etc...  All of these are free  FOR ALL AGES  in Scotland.
NHS dental care is virtually unknown in some areas, so private dental care is widespread - but not over expensive.

The good thing about the NHS is that if you have an accident or serious illness, you will be seen right away and get very good treatment- all paid for.
The bad thing is that if you gave a minor, but possibly painful, condition - you might have to wait ages and be messed around before it's treated.  The medical standard of the NHS is
very good - but the admin is apalling.  For this reason, some form of private medical cover is useful in addition to NHS cover.

The GP service has faced a lot of problems recently.  Too many targets - too many procedures - too much workload on doctors  all imposed by some faceless committes.  
A few years ago, doctors here knew their patients as PEOPLE.  Now they are being reduced to statistics to be collected and a set of idealised parameters to be met.

I am very cynical.


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