How does the National Health Service compare with ObamaCare?

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   bradmasterOCcalposted 8 years ago

   How does the National Health Service compare with ObamaCare?
   
   Basically, how does the US social healthcare compare to that of Canada, and the UK, and other countries?
   
   

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   tamarawilhiteposted 8 years ago

   Obamacare is a mandate to buy expensive health insurance, rather than catastrophic health insurance. Healthcare is provided mostly by private doctors and hospitals. However, Obamacare has led many doctors to leave private practice to become employees of hospitals, while its high administrative costs have closed many smaller hospitals. End result - fewer hospital beds, high costs for individuals, quality of care suffers.
   
   National Health Service makes all doctors and hospital staff employees of the state. When money is short, the solution is always more administration and less care, so care suffers.
   Read about the Livercare Pool Pathway (killing patients by neglect to save money), Mid Staffs horror with death figures hidden to look good, regular stories of people pulling their own teeth because they can't get into a dentist, etc.
   So Obamacare is bad because it is bureaucratic, but NHS is immoral.

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Interesting view on the two.

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   chef-de-jourposted 8 years ago

   A difficult question to answer! How do they compare? Well, the NHS began in 1948, Obamacare in 2010 roughly, so one system is enduring whilst the other is perhaps still an experiment.
   Here in the UK we pay National Insurance which is taken out of the salary and goes into a national pot for health care. Over the years it has worked well and other countries have tried to set up a similar kind of system. Naturally there have been issues and problems arising - it's such a giant organisation - but overall given the potential for inefficiencies and politicalisation it has served most people well.
   The NHS is free at the point of service. Everyone is treated the same, in theory! What a wonderful ideal - the penniless beggar gets the same treatment as the Mayfair zillionaire.
   Being a Brit I've kind of taken the NHS for granted. You break your leg playing soccer then an ambulance comes to take you to the local A&E, your leg gets mended and all is well that ends well. You get no bill at the end of the treatment.
   Obamacare as far as I can tell seeks to help the poorer people in the US, those who can't get medical insurance? It's a noble attempt to balance things out I suppose but do you still need to prove your income? To have a medical insurance that will cover the cost?
   
   The NHS was set up on the principle that no-one should make a fat profit out of someone who gets ill. We all get sick at some time so we're all in together - the best treatment, drugs, should be available to anyone. To an American this might sound a bit weird? But, to the average Brit, seeing a receipt/bill for someone's hospital treatment is equally so!!!
   
   The NHS is currently hot news - some want to privatise the system (VirginCare are getting involved in some counties) whilst others want the status quo - why fragment a great system of healthcare?
   
   The battle is on here in England.
   
   Meanwhile Obamacare is up and running. I hope it endures too. I am totally against profit from illness - a national health care system should not be influenced by shareholders interests or any profiteering - it should be set up with everyone paying a little in. I hate the idea of a hospital bill at the end of a stay on a ward. YUK.

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks
      Obamacare isn't really up after 5 years,Many people have lost their old but great insurance, only to get less and pay more for Obama ins. Most have to settle for large deductibles. Insurance companies are the only winners here.

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   Nathanvilleposted 8 years ago

   I don’t know much about ObamaCare, it’s a far cry from the NHS but I guess a step in the right direction e.g. the NHS is free at the point of use for all (no medical insurance).  All I can say is what the NHS offers and let American’s who know their system best decide for themselves.
   
   If you really want to know what the NHS offers then the best thing would be to visit and browse their excellent website www.nhs.uk
   
   The NHS website includes topics covering:-
   
   Health A-Z (hundreds of conditions explained); Live Well; Care and Support; Health News, and Services near you.
   
   In Britain, if you want health care your options include:-
   
   • Call NHS 111 if you urgently need medical help or advice but it's not a life-threatening situation. You can also call NHS 111 if you're not sure which NHS service you need.
   
   • Use the NHS website (which has 48 million visitors per month)
   
   • Take yourself to Accident and Emergency, you’ll not be turned away, regardless to how minor your medical issue; although intended for emergencies only so there can be up to a 4 hour wait if your case is no urgent.
   
   • Call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk. An ambulance will arrive within minutes to take you to hospital.
   
   • Visit a walk-in centre, minor injuries unit or urgent care centre if you have a minor illness or injury (cuts, sprains or rashes) and it can't wait until your GP surgery is open.
   
   • Ask your local pharmacist for advice (some are open 24 hrs.).  Your pharmacist can give you advice for many common minor illnesses, such as diarrhoea, minor infections, headache, travel advice or sore throats.
   
   • Make an appointment with your GP if you are feeling unwell and it is not an emergency,  If you are not well during the night  but not ill enough to warrant an ambulance you can optionally call your local GP Surgery out of hours and be put through to a local call centre who will send a local doctor to visit you in your home.
   
   The NHS employs 1.6 million people and costs the government around £115 billion a year to run ($160 billion) and deals with over 1 million patients every 36 hours. (The UK population is 64.1 million).
   
   The NHS is also involved in research, working with partners in the public and private sector, includes not-for-profit organisations like ‘Cancer Research UK’; and in recent years started to develop ‘joined up Services’ with local authorities to co-ordinate ‘Social Care’ in the home of people who need home assistance e.g. elderly.

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      bradmasterOCcalposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      I did look at several websites about NHS, and this ? was to get the view from others. I don't see much similarity betw the two systems. At first glance, the NHS seems like a much better system. The US dn negotiate drug prices

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      Nathanvilleposted 8 years agoin reply to this

      NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) approves drugs for use by NHS on basis of ‘Improving health and social care through evidence-based guidance’; downside delays in using new drugs, upside drugs are cheaper when finally approved

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