On 19 Jun, 18:01, James wrote:
On Jun 19, 12:13 pm, sheelagh wrote:

Our national health care system is slowly going towards the way you
all have it in the USA, & Canada too. If you pay, then you get what
you need doing, when you want it, in a National Health Care Hospital,
but in a nicer ward or a side room, with a menu to choose from. This
of course means that there are less beds available for anyone who
relies on the NHS for their medical care.

If you rely on the NHS system, then you can wait for up to 2 years
for a non medical emergency procedure. (ie: in growing toe nail
removal or something along those lines)....

I have no problem with that philosophy. People who can afford to pay
should pay. The extra money probably help keep the system going.

People are willing to spend big bucks for monster SUV's and their kids
education. There's no reason they shouldn't pay for extra pampering
in medical care as long as it doesn't lower the quality of care to the
poor.

Poor or cheap Americans cheat the Canadian system by posing as
Canadians. Well off Canadians willing to pay, hop across the border
to get instant medical care from the US. Many westerners go to India
and other Asian nations for cheap medical care. NHS would probably
work better if everyone has to pay something. Maybe 4 hours wages for
an office visit, up to a month's wages limit for something serious.
People making 10X more than me certainly can afford to pay $1000 a day
out of pocket.






I have no problem with that philosophy. People who can afford to pay
should pay. The extra money probably help keep the system going.

Nor would I "If" it wasn't @ the expense of the quality of the care of
the poor either. The problem is that it is exactly those people who do
have to pay in the long run. When the richer can afford to "schedule"
their procedures, it means that they get the beds in the very same
hospitals as the rest of the local populous, thus leaving no bed
available for others waiting for those beds & slots in theater. In
fact there has been a lot of controversy about this problem
recently....

We have the elderly being informed on the day of their procedure, that
there is no bed available for them, & they are simply put back on the
list to be recalled @ a later date for their turn. This is really
unacceptable. When I said surrounded by controversy, I meant it....
(hip replacements, intensive care after theater ect)

How would you feel if your uncle, grandmother, or parents got as far
as the hospital, & even on the ward..
Had your pre op done, only to be told that there has been an
unforeseen problem, so you can get dressed again, & we will contact
you when we have the room & the staff to look after you? Because this
is what is happening over here, increasingly so too...

Now if the people who can afford to pay towards the expense of their
health care, I have no problem with this idea either.. as long as it
is in a Private hospital, because there are plenty of them, so why
take away the overstretched beds from those who can least afford it?

My philosophy FWIW, is that generally the people who are made to wait
the longest, are the very people who paid national insurance
contributions all of their working lives, to ensure that when they got
into their old age, they knew that they had this system to support
them in their time of need

People are willing to spend big bucks for monster SUV's and their kids
education. There's no reason they shouldn't pay for extra pampering
in medical care as long as it doesn't lower the quality of care to the
poor

Again,. I couldn't agree more with you if I tried to....But the
problem is that it is /@ the expense & quality of care for the poor...

It all goes back to the problem of NHS hospitals seeing the extra wad
of cash & the administrators thinking, "nice one, we could do with the
cash injection". It makes the staff feel uncomfortable. They are also
on the front line & have to cope with the people who have been kicked
out of their hospital beds, to make room for the private paying
clients on the administrations say so!!

If these people can afford to pay for their health care, that is all
well and good, but the people who paid for those hospitals to be
built, are the very ones who are not receiving the treatment that
should be theirs by right. It should most definately not be @ their
expense...

If I had the money to pay for private health care, I would, but I
would also ensure that the hospital I used was a private one so that I
wasn't holding someone else up that probably needs the treatment far
more than I do.....

Just my 2pence worth
S;o)