American Healthcare In Crisis

[NightskyeB4Dawn]

I live in the UK and I'm 56 years old.
Never really had much wrong with me over the years other than the usual run of the mill ailments that required the odd prescription.
I more or less always worked and never minded paying the prescription charges and my taxes and National Insurance contributions that helped fund the NHS.

I've always been a big supporter of the NHS and the principles behind it.
I know there are many Americans that simply can't get their heads around the benefits of a Universal Healthcare system that is free at the point of use.
Its never been a problem for me that others may have had more out of something than I who have possibly paid more in to....if it helps the old, sick and infirm then its not an issue.

Of course I've heard the stories over the years of the waste, the cronyism and the dodgy dealings with Big Pharma etc.
I know lots of people who work in the NHS - my daughter is a theatre Nurse.

A few years ago I was looking for a new job and I'd seen a post advertised in the NHS which appealed to me; I had a lot of transferable skills and it was literally a 10 minute walk from where i lived at the time.
I applied for the job and a couple of days later a cousin of mine phoned me up and said she'd heard I'd applied for this job.
My cousin has a quite senior position in an Admin role at another local hospital about 15-20 miles away.
She told me that they wouldn't even consider me for the position despite probably being the most qualified to apply for it. 
This was because I would be coming from the private sector and that I would demand a much higher level of performance from staff - not direct medical staff but Admin, Managers etc - than what they were used to.....and that frightened so many mid and senior level managers who had only known the NHS and other public sector employment.
Sure enough I didn't even get a reply.

That set some alarm bells ringing.

Last November something out of the blue happened that required me spending 11 days in hospital.
The staff were brilliant and the treatment second to none.
My only complaints were the appalling flow of information to me as the patient and the attitude of some Doctors who tended to dismiss me and spoke about me as if I wasn't there.
I am someone who demands to know everything and I was very forthright in telling them that they discuss everything with me and that I will be a full and active party to any decisions regarding my treatment.

Since then I have been back in hospital twice requiring two surgical operations and spent a total of another 42 days in hospital.
The treatment I have received has been truly excellent, I really can't fault it or the level of commitment and consideration from all the staff from the auxiliaries right up to the surgeons and specialists etc. 
But again, the flow of information was terrible and everything is bound up in covering arse red tape and box ticking.
The waste was astronomical.

People in the UK have always had the option of private health care if they so desired, there's nothing wrong with that.

But we have a government that is desperately trying to introduce private health care through the back door bit by bit and that should be resisted at all costs.
The NHS is a truly amazing and brilliant institution - it just needs managing professionally.
Its funding needs ring fencing but spent correctly and wisely.
And its imperative that current in vogue 'woke' thinking is kept well away from all NHS related issues.
Is it any wonder that so many politicians have close ties to and vested interests in Big Pharma and Private Healthcare providers?

Universal Healthcare systems can and do work across the world.

The NHS has its faults...but as far as I can tell the benefits far outweigh the negatives and its far, far better than the alternatives.

Sorry for the length of the post....I can waffle on at times.

Thank you for your post. It really was not that long, and I thank you for sharing your experience. 

The majority of the healthcare workers at any facility, usually are truly amazing at their jobs, considering the fact they are severely overworked, and usually abused by those in almost every point of the circle they have to navigate. They have no control at all, over what the administration does. They are victims at the first level of a corrupt system that is profit based.

You shared you do pay for your healthcare service through your National Insurance contributions. So you don't pay at point of service, but you do pay before service. It is not much different here. Most people pay through their payroll contributions and they pay into Medicare years prior to service.

I would like to see Universal Healthcare work in the US. The best system in the world is dead in the water if it is run by corrupt greedy people that are profit driven, often at the expense of the people. I used to praise the services I received at the VA, up until 2012. Being a female, the services seemed to be little more attentive than what some of our male counterparts received, at the time. That slowly changed. They came through on equity, we are all now treated equally atrociously.

I used to find myself defending the VA, being in the medical profession, and knowing the challenges the institutions faced. Back then the healthcare workers and Administration really were doing the best they could. Then the unholy trinity took over healthcare, and slaying this monster will not be easy. The government, Insurance companies, and Big Pharma, are one beast with three heads. It wants you sick, weak, afraid, and totally dependent on them. I think their motto is. "Comply or Die."