Comments on: Power to the Uninsured!

By: Paul

Paul — Wed, 06 May 2009 00:47:01 +0000

Well Doc Gurley, if it’s so good over here why won’t the NHS treat me? It’s not as though I have something that can’t be treated, because my private doctor seems to be doing a reasonable job. And it’s not as though I’m alone, because I know of other people in a similar situation.

The NHS even went so far as to ban me from seeing any further specialists – and that was after just 3 specialist consultations.

I know how bad things can be in the US, but don’t you dare go telling me that the NHS works unless you’re prepared to make sure that I can get the treatment that I’ve paid for. You can get your in-laws on it. Until then, I’ll be telling the world that the NHS is a failure.

As for the situation in the US, it’s hardly my fault if people are careless about the type of health insurance that they buy. It’s not as though there’s been a sudden change in the way that healthcare is provided in the US and people are learning how it works. I stand by my comment – the way that you fund your medical care is unlikely to solve this problem – it’s much more an issue of needing to be realistic about what’s possible, what’s affordable and what’s sensible. However, given that many healthcare decisions are made emotionally, I don’t see that happening any time soon either here or in the US.

By: Doc Gurley

Doc Gurley — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:10:21 +0000

Ah, dear Paul, the naivete of those who have a true health system is so…heart-warming and also somewhat angry-making in terms of what we live without here in this country. By “failures of their private insurance” I don’t mean asking for the unreasonable. I mean true, actual examples, such as 1) discovering no doctor will see you, 2) discovering you are “disallowed” for that entire, lethal disease, 3) discovering that you have coverage, sort-of, but only so much coverage (despite what they promised) that you will either live bankrupt (and possibly homeless) or forgo treatment altogether. You can imagine that if you have children, the idea of driving your family into bankruptcy/homelessness (75% of bankruptcies in America are secondary to medical costs) so that you can get non-emergency treatment (even for a disease that will, eventually, kill you) is not an easy decision to make. Oh Paul, it’s so much worse than you’re thinking…

By: Paul

Paul — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:59:05 +0000

Certainly here in California, even among the affluent, the moment when many people discover the failures of their private insurance is exactly when they are too overwhelmed by illness to do anything about it.

The exact same thing applies to the NHS, except that here in the UK there is only one “insurer”. The way that you fund your medical care is unlikely to solve this problem – it’s much more an issue of needing to be realistic about what’s possible, what’s affordable and what’s sensible.