For the Britts...

[rubytuesday]

Originally Posted by gold_dust

Well, as a Briton, without the NHS - National Health Service - we'd be lost. We have private health care, and many people choose to take that option, but, in my opinion, health isn't something you put a price on. You're ill - you see a doctor. You don't choose to get sick, even if you're risking it with things like smoking, or drinking - so why should you have to pay to get better? Everything here (except medicine, and even then certain people can be excempt from paying) is free. Doctors appointments are free, consultations are free, operations are free. We don't really see it as something socialist when you're all putting money into something that's helping everyone. I had an ear operation when I was five, there's no way I could've contributed towards the NHS at that age, but without them, I doubt I'd be able to listen to much now. And without the NHS - which started just after the war - my great grandmother couldn't get the treatment to save her hearing. As a consequence my great uncle (and all my cousins) are now deaf.

And, there's hardly a person I know that has emigrated to America, told someone to 'toss off' (complete wrong choice of wording to use in the UK), and I don't think people think too much about it, if they're asked. We all need healthcare when we're ill, so why see it as a negative thing when we're all putting money into it? I don't think I've ever connotated Socialism with the NHS before. Without it, we don't get treated, and if we want to go private, it'd have to be through a good job. I'm private until I turn 24. Then, if I need treatment for something, I either go to the NHS, or get a good job. And since I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder, with Social Anxiety and Depression, getting a job right now isn't really an option. But, at least, I'll still get treatment.

Couldn't and wouldn't live without it. I live in Australia at the moment and it's the same here and its truly astounding at how Americans think its so peculiar and communist. My family was always fortunate enough to have complete private cover but I couldn't live like that knowing that lots of society had no cover. Have you seen Sicko? NHS is......well Tony Benn put it best "An educated, healthy and confident nation is harder to govern". I think that would frighten America and as he also said even the most conservative Tory wouldn't take NHS away or as he said, there'd be a revolution across the UK. We just wouldn't tolerate the government taking away our right to health.