[quote]Wrel wrote:
Hiya, I’m not trying to be purely argumentative, but i am preplexed how anyone could oppose the nationalisation of healthcare so everyone is treated, in a system where a failry substanial portion of the population doesn’t have access to the care they’d need if they get sick.
I am English, I live in Britain (obviously) where we have the NHS, I have been reading some of the disturbing campaign material circulated in America currently, specifically about heart disease and cancer treatment, and it’s just lies. None of this ‘information’ about the issue with age vs treatment is true.
My grandfather was 90 when he developed bowel cancer, he had an op to remove part of his bowel within 10days and now at 98 he still receives monthly visits to his home to check on his wellbeing. I’m not going to say there aren’t problems with the (NHS) model, but anyone that is sick is given a chance. Nobody is intentionally left behind.
My cousin works in a state-of-the-art bio-chemistry lab in a hospital in the North of England - they have a �£50million grant for this year alone developing drugs for use against heart disease - all funded by the NHS.
My mother pays for private health insurance, like many other people who wish to do so, this basically means that rather than waiting to see a consultant afer any diagnosis she can seek swifter private help. The longest i’ve ever waited for a consulation was on a knee injury I had - it took almost two weeks. Here in Wales, where I live, we get publically funded prescriptions, so those who are vulnerable, especially the elderly never have to worry about being able to afford treatment.
The issue of dentistry is a little bit different here. Put simpley people don’t (generally) associate the NHS or healthcare with the specific nature of dental care (hence the appalling state of our nations teeth). There are plenty of dentists if you’re willing to pay for treatment, just a shortage of those seeking free care.
The case of one idiotic Scouser (that’s someone from Liverpool) using superglue to fix his own crown isn’t a very balanced example, he could have paid for someone to fix that crown, but he wanted to act the victim and get himself on some daytime TV shows (but not cos he is a Scouser, before anyone from liverpool goes and gets upset) [/quote]
There are actually only a couple percent of Americans without access to health care coverage. So I don’t know where that â??substantial portionâ?? comes from.
As for innovationâ?¦ you are really going to compare Briton to the US?
â??The United States is a leader in medical innovation. In 2004, the health care industry spent three times as much as Europe per capita on biomedical research.[10] Companies provide medical products such as pharmaceuticals and medical devices. In 2006, the United States accounted for three quarters of the worldâ??s biotechnology revenues and 82% of world R&D spending in biotechnology. [9][7]. The amount of financing by private industry has increased 102% from 1994 to 2003.[19] Governmental research institutes such as the National Institutes of Health are key in funding basic research.
The top five U.S. hospitals carry out more clinical trials than all the hospitals in any other country. Between 1975 and 2008, the Nobel Prize in medicine or physiology has gone to U.S. residents more often than recipients from all other countries combined. In 29 of the 34 years between 1975 and 2008, a scientist living in the U.S. either won or shared in the prize.â??
Why not thank or non-socialist medical market for your health? We do more for the science of medicine than all of Europe.
My grandfather recently received a similar surgery and similar treatment, but he never sacrificed any freedom.