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After reading through the sicko thread I would like to hear experiences from people living in UK, France or Canada. I would like to know what their experience has been like with healthcare. One liners aren't welcomed, I would like to know details (without giving away private info) about what you have been through. How long is the wait for health care, how is the service, have you ever had to wait more than a year for a procedure etc.?
I am a person who is thinking about moving abroad but would like to do so without blinders on, so any info would be much appreciated.
Last edited by sunrico90; 12-04-2007 at 02:28 PM..
After reading through the sicko thread I would like to hear experiences from people living in UK, France or Canada. I would like to know what their experience has been like with healthcare. One liners aren't welcomed, I would like to know details (without giving away private info) about what you have been through. How long is the wait for health care, how is the service, have you ever had to wait more than a year for a procedure etc.?
I am a person who is thinking about moving abroad but would like to do so without blinders on, so any info would be much appreciated.
here is a more up to date 'report' BBC NEWS | Scotland | Cut in NHS waiting time figures
but this one doesn't cover 'elective' such as knee/hip replacement (as the first one did) maybe because not much progress has been made there (i assume you read in the other thread, but my brother in uk used the hip as an example- as little as 2 months ago when i saw him- he said patients are left in pain waiting).
just to give you an understanding of this- 9 weeks is the target to get you results of testing...so if you have a nodule that needs to be biopsied to test for cancer...that's a little over 2 mo's to find out whether you have cancer and what stage it is. 2mo's depending on stage/aggressiveness, may mean fine recovery to loosing limbs or death.
if two docs in uk think the US health system is better, then i'm probably going to agree with them (i'm sure many more would agree, but i've not spoken to them, so cannot comment). amongst the reasons....sure it sucks that the ins. co's are out to make money as are docs in the US, but bottom line is that the facilities/healthcare here/treatment centers/time is way better in the US. which is the lesser of two evils...
having free/socialized healthcare at the cost of increased wait times
or
having more/better/advanced hospitals at the cost of private health insurance.
having free/socialized healthcare at the cost of increased wait times
or
having more/better/advanced hospitals, which are good for those who can afford health insurance but is useless for those who can't afford health insurance. not to mention those who get dropped from insurance plans or receive less coverage because Insurance companies don't want to pay.
fixed
Last edited by Wild Style; 12-03-2007 at 02:03 PM..
I'm French and I have to say the French health system is about as good as you're going to get. There are no waiting lists, YOU as a patient chose your physician and specialist and it is a nuiversal system where access is for all including the unemployed and homeless. The Doctors are extremely good and the standard of care is exceptional, the hospitals are all modern and equipped with the latest medical technology. It is paid by taxes which all contribute to and most French people also have a very small "top-up" private insurance ( run by what they call Mutual funds organisations, non profit) for extra costs such as dental work and eyecare . I have had to use the system many times as have all my friends and relatives and no complaints at all.
The NHS in the UK is getting better but due to chronic underfunding under the Conservative government, it will take years to fix. There are long waiting lists for some treatments and though a lot of money has been spent on it in recent years it is still a long way off.
But it is free and also for all , poor or rich. And much better than nothing at all. Some hospitals are brilliant and some less so. it is a bit of a lottery sadly.
The French system is acknowledged as the best in the world, a lot of medical advances are funded by the French government and this is one of the things I am most proud about my country. That it looks after people whether they can afford to pay for treatment or not.
My wife mentioned France to me the other day (as a place to live), but we are practicing Muslims and I know that country wouldn't be easy to integrate into with the restrictions on women wearing the head scarf (hijab) and such. Also my French is extremely rusty (my wife's is much better).
my father is retired. my mother works part time and has health care via her employer. medicare/caid takes care of my father's health care secondary to my mother's health care. she makes very little, but yet my father's 100k + procedure has been taken care of via insurance....note that my parents aren't rich, and my mother doesn't get paid much to work-she works to keep busy and the side perk is insurance.
without her insurance taking care of my father's bills, medicare takes care of (iirc) 90% of the bill...requiring the rest of my family to cough up 10k.
so yes while i agree that one needs to work in order to have insurance, i'm a firm believer in helping those who help themselves. call me a republican if you must, but i hate free loaders (seems as though europe has many more than here)...but hey, this isn't a political post, simply and opinon based on facts post=)
My wife mentioned France to me the other day (as a place to live), but we are practicing Muslims and I know that country wouldn't be easy to integrate into with the restrictions on women wearing the head scarf (hijab) and such. Also my French is extremely rusty (my wife's is much better).
You are in U.K. now i gather right?
I've lived in the UK for 19 years now so I have been a recipient of both countries' healthcare.
France is much much better than it used to be integration wise though the national front still has far too many followers. The restriction on the wearing the Hijab is only in state schools ( it wasn't meant as a religious discrimination but the French State is based on complete separation from the church ( or nowadays other religions) and as a catholic you would not be allowed to wear a cross either on school property. There are no restrictions outside of schools as far as I am aware.
One of my friend's wife is French but with Moroccan roots and a Muslim and she seems to be pretty well integrated into French society.
I think there are racists and bigots everywhere but on the whole despite a lot of media hysteria , it is definitely improving fast. French is a must though !
I have a lot of Muslim friends ( I love the main Paris Mosque and am a frequent visitor when in Paris) and nobody seems to have problems.
I think if you are a professional , you will find that you are completely accepted most places .
There is a social unease from some disenfranchised youths in some deprived suburbs who clash with each other ( "white" for a want of a better word against kids from North African descent ) because of their perceived differences when really they are actually very similar. It's very sad and it polarises the debate on immigration and integration of course which added to media hysteria turns nasty occasionally.
The UK has a sizeable Muslim population, the vast majority of which is perfectly integrated with the exception of some younger radicalised youths. In fact talking of the NHS, the system would collapse without all the fantastic Asian doctors and nurses !
I love living in England, it has some grotty industrial cities and the society is changing in what I consider to be negative way ( Chavs or as Americans would call them "trailer trash" is the new trend and it seems that being drunk and anti social is a badge of honour for most kids ) BUT it also is a beautiful and varied country with so much history and culture if one is prepared to look for it a bit. As a teetotaller I would say my lack of drinking can be a problem when I try to socialise with people whose idea of a good time is vomiting in the gutters!
I find most English people actually quite friendly if a tad nationalist, and the area we live ( near Oxford) is fantastic.
The Cotswolds is truly a superb area and I love the cute little villages, historic houses, nice scenery and lots to see and do culturally speaking.
However the house prices are prohibitive and that would be my main concern as a foreigner wanting to come into Britain. We live in one of the most expensive areas and our tiny little stone cottage is worth over $500 000 which is ludicrous and means most young couples , even professional ones are having difficulties getting on the property ladder.
Still I do love living here and really appreciate the sense of history and culture around me. Some areas of Britain are slightly cheaper though not that much and you would have to chose carefully where to live as some areas are quite grotty.
The NHS could be way, way better but I believe with the investment being put in , it will eventually get there , albeit slowly.
my father is retired. my mother works part time and has health care via her employer. medicare/caid takes care of my father's health care secondary to my mother's health care. she makes very little, but yet my father's 100k + procedure has been taken care of via insurance....note that my parents aren't rich, and my mother doesn't get paid much to work-she works to keep busy and the side perk is insurance.
without her insurance taking care of my father's bills, medicare takes care of (iirc) 90% of the bill...requiring the rest of my family to cough up 10k.
so yes while i agree that one needs to work in order to have insurance, i'm a firm believer in helping those who help themselves. call me a republican if you must, but i hate free loaders (seems as though europe has many more than here)...but hey, this isn't a political post, simply and opinon based on facts post=)
I have a mother in law who died, father in law and her both worked hard, insurance stopped paying after so much and my father in law ended up going into debt and losing tons as a result. Only way someone like yourself will see the flip side of the coin is when you yourself have to go through it.
I have a mother in law who died, father in law and her both worked hard, insurance stopped paying after so much and my father in law ended up going into debt and losing tons as a result. Only way someone like yourself will see the flip side of the coin is when you yourself have to go through it.
Well the NHS has many problems and its "free" its not really free but its free and well depending on what you need to be done this can be a long long long waiting game the main problem with the NHS is the wait times I had to wait 3hrs and in the end just walked out but operations can be months and months. Also there is a something known as the "Lottery" of what sort of medicines people have access to such as cancer drugs I don't know if they are in short supply or what but depending on where you live in the UK you may not be able to have the required treatment. Also trying to see a GP on the NHS or Dentist is a waste of time I haven't been to the dentist for 8yrs as I cant get into one and the GP I have to book 3 or 4 days in advance.
Some areas of the UK may be good where as others are very bad but the whole NHS is a complete mess on the whole and although its a very good system in theory it should work but thanks to the the lack of control from Labour it isn't and wont get any better soon.
Many hospitals are overcrowded and dirty with the MRSA breakout, wait rooms are full of waiting patients but its "free" so I guess that makes it ok.
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