Celebrating the NHS (fit in, health insurance, how much)

[Cruithne]

Thought I'd drag the topic of 'celebrating the NHS in the Olympic opening ceremony' into a new thread.

All I can say is that since moving to America I have developed a new appreciation for many things back in the UK. The NHS being one of them.

The son has had his life saved many times over by the NHS and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in particular- also celebrated in the opening ceremony. He was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) at the age of 18 months and underwent 3 and half years of chemotherapy.

During treatment he had a bad fall which created a massive hemorrhage on his brain. His life was saved again as the blood clot needed to be removed.

My son had world class treatment all for free (ok well we pay through tax obviously). I dread to think how much all this would have cost us if we had to pay for it. Millions probably. I am proud to say he is now a thriving 10 year old and very, very fit.

I for one cannot have enough praise for the system in the UK.

[dragonborn]

I was born in Great Ormond Street hospital - I received life saving surgery there. It's a fantastic hospital.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for the NHS. It's always been there for me and my family. I didn't truly appreciate it until I moved to the US.

I am glad that it was honored at the Olympics. It's a great show of support and appreciation of a beloved institution, even though it's not perfect, I doubt that most British people with any sense would want to swap it for a US-style system.

[Cruithne]

Originally Posted by dragonborn

I was born in Great Ormond Street hospital - I received life saving surgery there. It's a fantastic hospital.

I have nothing but respect and admiration for the NHS. It's always been there for me and my family. I didn't truly appreciate it until I moved to the US.

I am glad that it was honored at the Olympics. It's a great show of support and appreciation of a beloved institution, even though it's not perfect, I doubt that most British people with any sense would want to swap it for a US-style system.

Dragonborn, I could not agree with you more.

[BigDGeek]

Originally Posted by Kentmum

Thought I'd drag the topic of 'celebrating the NHS in the Olympic opening ceremony' into a new thread.

All I can say is that since moving to America I have developed a new appreciation for many things back in the UK. The NHS being one of them.

The son has had his life saved many times over by the NHS and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in particular- also celebrated in the opening ceremony. He was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) at the age of 18 months and underwent 3 and half years of chemotherapy.

During treatment he had a bad fall which created a massive hemorrhage on his brain. His life was saved again as the blood clot needed to be removed.

My son had world class treatment all for free (ok well we pay through tax obviously). I dread to think how much all this would have cost us if we had to pay for it. Millions probably. I am proud to say he is now a thriving 10 year old and very, very fit.

I for one cannot have enough praise for the system in the UK.

I'm glad your son is now fit and healthy...but your post begs the question: why did you move here? I'm not trying to be confrontational...I am genuinely curious.

[ian6479]

Originally Posted by BigDGeek

I'm glad your son is now fit and healthy...but your post begs the question: why did you move here? I'm not trying to be confrontational...I am genuinely curious.

Good question..

[Cruithne]

No that's fine. The answer is simple.

My husband, who is a scientist, was drawn here for work with an offer we could not refuse. He actually works in developing pharmaceuticals and the company he works for now specialises in biotechnology, a leading field in pharmaceutical research. Some of the projects involved cancer research which was not a field his UK company dealt with and we had a particular interest in that for obvious reasons.

[Dport7674]

Your son would have been considered disabled and would have most likely recieved free health care.

[Baldrick]

Well i'm a fan of the NHS.

It's worth every penny i pay for it. I can think of no better use for my taxes than something that directly helps to keep mine and other families alive and healthy.

It's as simple as that.

[AnthonyB]

Here's a nugget of pro NHS information: Entrepreneurship is actually HIGHER in the UK than in the US. Reason being that with the NHS providing a safety net, people aren't terrified to strike out on their own and aren't tied to their jobs. It also allows small businesses to compete more effectively for employees. In the US, the big corporations can offer much better health care than small companies (if they can afford it at all).

Right wingers never like to hear that, it doesn't fit into the bleeding heart liberal mode they always assume.

BTW, in my part of the States, (NJ) privately bought health insurance with a very high deductable ($5000) for a family of four is around $1200 - $1600 a month. Yes, really.

[ian6479]

Originally Posted by AnthonyB

Here's a nugget of pro NHS information: Entrepreneurship is actually HIGHER in the UK than in the US. Reason being that with the NHS providing a safety net, people aren't terrified to strike out on their own and aren't tied to their jobs. It also allows small businesses to compete more effectively for employees. In the US, the big corporations can offer much better health care than small companies (if they can afford it at all).

Right wingers never like to hear that, it doesn't fit into the bleeding heart liberal mode they always assume.

BTW, in my part of the States, (NJ) privately bought health insurance with a very high deductable ($5000) for a family of four is around $1200 - $1600 a month. Yes, really.

The claim that the US is the most innovative and entrepreneurial country in the world is Definately exaggerated but I wouldn't place it behind the UK. Is this your opinion or do you have some evidence for that? It's easier to start a business in the US and new start up businesses are opening at a much higher rate than the UK. I don't see Britain starting a Facebook, Google or Apple nor are businesses able to change do quickly - look at car manufacturing in the US over the last 5 years. Britain doesn't manufacture much of anything anymore.

The 10 Best Countries for Entrepreneurs - 24/7 Wall St.

I think that the claim that workers are less mobile here is a myth in itself. That had always been one of America's strengths. There are actually many Brits working in companies here because of innovation in itself - just look at research funding in comparison.