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I watched the video. Perhaps the reason it made the news is because it is very unusual for the UK's NHS. If this kind of thing was normal, I'd suggest it would never make the news.
There's a couple of things in there that stand out:
First, "If this was in England, things would be different," followed shortly by (paraphrased), "Which means this is political; England is Conservative while Wales is Labour." This tells me that the man's delay may not be a result of socialized medicine; it instead may be an allegation that the delay is a result of the political differences between England and Wales. Unfair to the patient, I agree; but it could be politics, not socialized medicine, that may be the cause of the delay.
Except it's not at all unusual for the NHS. They suffer from chronic staffing shortages, currently there are over 9,300 unfilled doctor positions, and almost 41,000 unfilled nursing posts. Death rates in NHS hospitals are over four times higher than American hospitals, and over seven times higher for the most seriously ill. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...higher-US.html
Last winter, the NHS had to cancel 50,000 non emergency surgeries due to a staff shortage during a flu outbreak, and in the first week of this year about 12,000 patients were kept over half an hour in the backs of ambulances waiting to get into emergency departments. In 2018 alone, almost 30,000 patients died while waiting for treatment. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypi.../#21d82da2798b
Another issue is where does the 3+ trillion dollars needed every year to run a socialized health system come from? We are already running unsustainable budget deficits, and social security and medicare trust funds are both going to be empty in less than 20 years. We can't even afford what were doing now, where does this pile of money come from? It's not in the defense budget, and "tax the rich" wont work either, since the higher tax rates are, the lower reported earnings are. Or stashed in a tax shelter or offshored to a more tax friendly country.
There seems to be a lot of 'scare' stories about the NHS doing the rounds in the US...............I wonder why that is?
It's because many United States citizens have an irrational fear of "socialism." Never mind that they don't know what "socialism" actually is. Here's a hint: "socialism" means the nationalization of banks, railways, mining, and other industries. It is not "let's build big government that controls everybody." Neither is it "Let's round up all those that disagree with us, and put them in concentration camps." That is Stalinism. By that measure, Britain's NHS is hardly socialist.
Yet certain Americans still scream. "The NHS is socialist, and that means that Brits are halfway to communism!" No, the Brits are not. Neither are the Canadians, nor the Australians, nor the French, nor the Germans.
If you polled citizens of the above countries as to whether they'd prefer a US system, or a UHC system, I'd lay dollars to donuts that they'd prefer UHC. Why? Because they know what they're getting, as opposed to what they think they might possibly get, after a non-medical claims adjuster, and maybe one or two more non-medical functionaries, says they will get.
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Originally Posted by dozerbear
Except it's not at all unusual for the NHS. They suffer from chronic staffing shortages, currently there are over 9,300 unfilled doctor positions, and almost 41,000 unfilled nursing posts. Death rates in NHS hospitals are over four times higher than American hospitals, and over seven times higher for the most seriously ill. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...higher-US.html
Last winter, the NHS had to cancel 50,000 non emergency surgeries due to a staff shortage during a flu outbreak, and in the first week of this year about 12,000 patients were kept over half an hour in the backs of ambulances waiting to get into emergency departments. In 2018 alone, almost 30,000 patients died while waiting for treatment. https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypi.../#21d82da2798b
Another issue is where does the 3+ trillion dollars needed every year to run a socialized health system come from? We are already running unsustainable budget deficits, and social security and medicare trust funds are both going to be empty in less than 20 years. We can't even afford what were doing now, where does this pile of money come from? It's not in the defense budget, and "tax the rich" wont work either, since the higher tax rates are, the lower reported earnings are. Or stashed in a tax shelter or offshored to a more tax friendly country.
The NHS has substantially increased staff over the last decade and remains one of Britain's most cherished organisations.
Furthermore there is nothing stopping anyone taking out private health insurance in the UK if they so wish, however most of the population choose not to despite private health insurance being relatively cheap.
In March 2017, across Hospital and Community Healthcare Services (HCHS), the NHS employed (full-time equivalent): 106,430 doctors; 285,893 nurses and health visitors; 21,597 midwives; 132,673 scientific, therapeutic and technical staff; 19,772 ambulance staff; 21,139 managers; and 9,974 senior managers.14
There were 10,934 additional HCHS doctors (FTE) employed in the NHS in March 2017 compared to March 2010 (11.45 per cent). In the past year the number has increased by 2.29 per cent.15
There were 3,910 more NHS nurses and health visitors (FTE) across HCHS in March 2017 compared to seven years earlier (1.39 per cent). In the past year the number has increased by 0.18 per cent.16
There were 2,197 more ambulance staff in March 2017 compared to seven years earlier (12.50 per cent). In the past year the number has increased by 7.48 per cent.17
There were 145 fewer psychiatrists across all grades (FTE) in March 2017 than March 2010 (1.64 per cent decrease). Over the same period there has been a decline in the number of mental health nurses of 5,161 (12.63 per cent).18
There were 5,027 more qualified allied health professionals (FTE) in March 2017 compared to March 2010 (8.51 per cent). However the number of qualified healthcare scientists has declined over the same period, with the FTE number in March 2017 2,388 below that of March 2010 (9.16 per cent).19
54.06 per cent of NHS employees across HCHS are professionally qualified clinical staff, as of March 2017. A further 29.89 per cent provide support to clinical staff in roles such as nursing assistant practitioners, nursing assistant/auxiliaries and healthcare assistants.20
In March 2017, 61,934 EU staff were working across HCHS – equivalent to 5.22 per cent of the headcount. This equates to 57,737 FTE, which is 5.51 per cent.21
Between March 2010 and March 2017 the number of professionally qualified clinical staff across HCHS has risen by 5.89 per cent.22
In March 2017 there were 33,423 full-time equivalent GPs (excluding locums), which is a reduction of 890 (2.59 per cent) on March 2016.23
In September 2016 there were (full-time equivalent): 15,827 nurses in GP practices; 10,009 GP direct patient care staff; and 65,334 admin/non-clinical staff. While the number of nurses in GP practices had increased by 429 (2.79 per cent) since September 2015, the number of practice nurses declined by 67 (0.57 per cent) over the same period. 24 Data from before 2015 is not directly comparable.
An NHS Partners Network survey shows that more than 69,000 individuals are involved in providing front-line services to NHS patients among their membership. Approximately two-thirds are clinicians.
Medical school intake rose from 3,749 in 1997/98 to 6,262 in 2012/13 - a rise of 67.0 per cent.25 7,112 graduates were accepted on to foundation programmes across the UK in 2016.26
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Oh, the United States rations health care, too -- based on the size of your wallet. At least Europe rations it based on need.
Bernie Sanders Sets The Record Straight On Single-Payer Healthcare
As for drugs, the UK evaluates the best possible treatments and negotiates via the Government and the NHS in order to get the lowest possible price for drugs allowing better access to treatments. The UK has also introduced new legislation to stop pharma companies from manipulating drug prices in terms of Generic drugs and treatments.
Are you terrified of Medicare and want to eliminate it because you are afraid of long waiting times? America actually has longer waiting times on plenty of procedures than universal health care countries.
So, do you think that will get better or worse with Medicare for all, or other types of socialized healthcare?
"Our system is already screwed up, so let's screw it up some more"?
Hate to tell ya, but we already did that with the ACA.
So, do you think that will get better or worse with Medicare for all, or other types of socialized healthcare?
"Our system is already screwed up, so let's screw it up some more"?
Hate to tell ya, but we already did that with the ACA.
Taking into account that we have by far the most expensive health care system in the world per person, while covering a far smaller share of our population, the evidence is overwhelming that it would be both cheaper and better to cover everyone. Its also the morally right thing to do to make sure no person should go bankrupt or be denied care because of cancer.
The reason we have our current system is because the ruling class want to chain people to their job and make them into obedient worker bees who risk the life and health care of their families if they lose their job or quit. Its an effective control mechanism.
Are you terrified of Medicare and want to eliminate it because you are afraid of long waiting times? America actually has longer waiting times on plenty of procedures than universal health care countries.
How many of those universal health care countries are trying to switch over to an insurance based system like ours?
I always think it is funny that some Americans think so little of what the USA can do that they insist on pointing out how other countries make mistakes and implying that the USA would be doomed to make the same mistakes. It's fascinating to me.
I would assume if the USA -- both Republicans and Democrats -- really cared about what was best for all Americans they would be able to sit down and hammer out a system that would provide some basic level of health care for all that is acceptable and try to avoid some of the pitfalls that exist today in the American system and avoid the pitfalls that may exist in other systems.
But I guess many of you think the USA just can't do it. Just doesn't have the ability to develop that system.
As for drugs, the UK evaluates the best possible treatments and negotiates via the Government and the NHS in order to get the lowest possible price for drugs allowing better access to treatments.
I think pretty much most countries not named the United States of America do that. The joke is the US ends up paying for those billions the companies spent on R and D while the rest of the world is able to negotiate to get the lowest possible price. So maybe in a weird way the other countries, including the UK, can thank the US for allowing them to get dirt cheap drug prices!
Maybe if the drug companies profit making would be spread out more evenly across the world, it would be a different story and every country would end up paying the same, US prices come down and everybody else's up go.
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