the septics attacking the NHS

[Gonzo]

The "MD" who writes for Private Eye is always quick to point out that the NHS is admired around the world but never copied. (He is a GP)

It has always struck me that it is very inefficent to have GPs tied up with appointments that people can ask for for free, for complaints that the GP can't do anything about.

People do feel better for the chance to discuss their minor ailment with a qualified doctor, but it is an expensive way of doing it.

[Not So Wise]

Health insurance is fine, so long as the company you buy it from is honest.

Except the problem is, none of them are honest anymore.

Most insurance companies in the US now either have Gov. mandated or commercial monopoly / duopoly in their area. Competition is virtually non existent and the only priority for the insurance companies to maximize profits not to offer the best product to customers to grow their customer base. Now it's all about having the most customers paying in who are unlikely to actually use their insurance and if they do use it try to get rid of them asap

To make matters even worse same has happened on the next level, the hospitals/doctors, they are now all part of big groups forming their own monopoly's, again with emphasis on profit rather than medical care (overpricing and as many pointless test as possible) and these price increases are getting passed down the line to the consumers via their insurance premiums

All this has lead to health care costs in the states being the most expensive in the world by a large margin. If they really did not want to do "socialized medicine" the only solution is to break up the insurance companies/medical groups and force real competition back into the market

[OwlHoot]

Limiting their liability would be a good way to reduce costs. Apparently insurance premiums are a (perhaps *the*?) major overhead for private medical practices in the US.

Obviously one wouldn't want to go to the opposite extreme, by giving them complete immunity, or they'd get sloppy and complacent. But there must be some happy medium.

[ratewhore]

Well I have my PMI so I really only care that my local GP can see me in a reasonable time (after I've got through the stasi receptionists), and A & E works as advertised.

I don't particularly care for the attitude of being forced into using the NHS and that using PMI is elitist...

[lilelvis2000]

My wife's aunt and uncle are doctors in the USA. Each earns over $1M pa. My dad was a doctor in Canada. I doubt he earned more than $200K pa ever in his career. Surely a GP here in the UK should earn £100 pa - without having stones thrown at them.

I remember thinking about moving to the US. I looked into the private health care and discovered that it would cost about $1300 pm for insurance - with quite large excesses. When you see that figure, I think a lot of people simply don't get it and take a chance. Then you hear some horror stories about how people with insurance have gone bankrupt and you wonder - why get insurance anyway?

Its a completely broken system, and some American's admit it, but then they don't do anything about it. Obama is making an effort anyway. Sadly I think it will fail - and he'll be a one term president because of that failure.

[Not So Wise]

Limiting their liability would be a good way to reduce costs. Apparently insurance premiums are a (perhaps *the*?) major overhead for private medical practices in the US.

Medical liability used to be a huge problem in the states, these days not so much (though you don't see Doctors telling patients this).

Many states reformed their statues to limit liability for Doctors over the last decade s which has lead to a large reduction in the cost of insurance for those doctors (and typically Doctors did not pass these saving on to patients even though that was why the limits were put in).

In many places it now requires a level of criminal negligence to get anything decent

Interesting little know fact, plastic surgeons have some of the lowest premiums of all the medical practitioners (Their building insurance costs can be higher than their medical liability insurance), why? because they are virtually impossible to sue, as a friend of mine recently discovered far to late .

[TiroFijo]

Limiting their liability would be a good way to reduce costs. Apparently insurance premiums are a (perhaps *the*?) major overhead for private medical practices in the US.

Obviously one wouldn't want to go to the opposite extreme, by giving them complete immunity, or they'd get sloppy and complacent. But there must be some happy medium.

Well Owlhoot, I hope your are well insured judging by that big fish behind you that is just about to relieve you of an arm!

[OwlHoot]

Well Owlhoot, I hope your are well insured judging by that big fish behind you that is just about to relieve you of an arm!

Isn't she a beaut? Must be 30 pounds if she's an ounce.

Sorry, did you say *behind* me?

[TiroFijo]

Its a completely broken system, and some American's admit it, but then they don't do anything about it. Obama is making an effort anyway. Sadly I think it will fail - and he'll be a one term president because of that failure.

If Obama does nothing else but reform their broken health system then he would have done one of the best things ever for their country.

The Americans that don't want reform are the the very ones who can afford it. For the worlds only remaining super power to allow 50+ million it's citizens to not have access to health care because they are too poor is morally corrupt.

It was that pr1ck Nixon's brainchild to bring in their current HMO's for the sole purpose to turn a profit on their citizen's health.

Lets make $ out of sick people

[minestrone]

"My flagship NHS is under attack from the yanks, I know what I will do, I will join a twitter campaign"