The Ledge's Monthly Approval of President Obama-Do You Approve??? August 2009

[rubytuesday]

Originally Posted by trackaghost

Have you ever lived here? I've never waited two hours to see a doctor and as Pip says prescriptions aren't free. You seem to be talking about stuff you know nothing about. But I guess I'm the ignorant one.

I agree, but I guess we're "ignorant".

lol I know. I'm wondering if this person has lived in the UK.

My family all has private insurance but people outside the system find it hard to understand how you could like NHS if you've got private. If you need emergency care you will be put straight onto the best system, the NHS. Emergencies don't wait to see what kind of insurance you've got, you got straight to emergency NHS care which is the best. If you're not in critical condition and want to recover in a room that's nicer than the public system, you can use your private health. My friends father is recovering from a heart attack. He had to get an ambulance to the hospital and bypass surgery and regular check ups on the public system. He doesn't pay anything and even if he had private insurance he would have been taken to the same hospital and needed the same surgery done by the same doctors. He could probably go to a different hospital for check ups but most of the time it gets in the way more than helping because you have to transfer over to doctors who aren't familiar with the condition as opposed to the docs who treated you in hospital.

I go to the same GP as everybody else and I've never waited 2 hours. That's ridiculous. And like others said, medication isn't free, it's only free if your situation is qualified as falling below the line that can afford it. So if you're unemployed or retired etc. Everybody else pays (but nothing like the price over in the US!).

I couldn't live in a country that doesn't help its people in there greatest time of need, when they're sick. What do all the taxes go to? What's so important that it means there is no money for health? I would put that right at the top of the list, followed by education and military. And as someone who chooses to get private insurance on top I have no problem thinking that my tax is helping the NHS. That's the first place I'd choose it to go if I had an option!

I don't get why someone is calling us ignorant!??