Just Ask A Brit! and then delete her answer
I happened across this post attempting to scare fat Americans with bogeystories about fat people being denied medical treatment under "socialised healthcare". (I gather similar scare stories are being told to old Americans, along the lines of "The gubmint will come round on your 65th birthday and SHOOT YOU".)
Anyway, said post contained the line If you think it can’t happen, ask someone who lives in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. They’ll set you straight on that, and quickly.
So I commented saying yes, please do ask someone who lives in the UK! I'm one! And what d'you know, it seems they deleted my comment. It's possible it's some kind of auto-mod, although the comment showed up earlier and had no links or swearies in. Their blog, their rules an'all that, so I thought I might as well put what I can remember of my answer here, with extra ranting:
Contrary to popular American belief, NHS hospitals do not look like this.
I can tell you dozens of stories of fat friendsandrelations (and myself - I think I'm currently "overweight" by BMI) getting excellent, prompt treatment on the NHS. I've never known anyone be denied treatment on the basis of weight, although I've heard about it on the news occasionally regarding knee replacements. (Of course, US insurance companies often deny treatment to fat people too. And I'm sure there's as much prejudice here as anywhere.)
I've lived in the US (with good insurance), so I know both systems a bit. I've never known anyone who's lived under both systems who prefers the US one - an impression borne out by the comments here.
And to those of us who grew up outside the US, your system with its 22000 preventable deaths a year and its bankruptcies and its get-cancer-lose-your-house and its I've-spilt-a-chip-pan-down-myself-but-I-can't-afford-to-go-to-the-hospital and its "you're a biologist, do you think my kidney pain might be something serious?" looks utterly, criminally insane.
Well, you did ask.
Anyway, said post contained the line If you think it can’t happen, ask someone who lives in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. They’ll set you straight on that, and quickly.
So I commented saying yes, please do ask someone who lives in the UK! I'm one! And what d'you know, it seems they deleted my comment. It's possible it's some kind of auto-mod, although the comment showed up earlier and had no links or swearies in. Their blog, their rules an'all that, so I thought I might as well put what I can remember of my answer here, with extra ranting:
Contrary to popular American belief, NHS hospitals do not look like this.
I can tell you dozens of stories of fat friendsandrelations (and myself - I think I'm currently "overweight" by BMI) getting excellent, prompt treatment on the NHS. I've never known anyone be denied treatment on the basis of weight, although I've heard about it on the news occasionally regarding knee replacements. (Of course, US insurance companies often deny treatment to fat people too. And I'm sure there's as much prejudice here as anywhere.)
I've lived in the US (with good insurance), so I know both systems a bit. I've never known anyone who's lived under both systems who prefers the US one - an impression borne out by the comments here.
And to those of us who grew up outside the US, your system with its 22000 preventable deaths a year and its bankruptcies and its get-cancer-lose-your-house and its I've-spilt-a-chip-pan-down-myself-but-I-can't-afford-to-go-to-the-hospital and its "you're a biologist, do you think my kidney pain might be something serious?" looks utterly, criminally insane.
Well, you did ask.
Labels: Crossing the Pond, PCIFS
posted by MissPrism at 8:38 am
9 Comments:
Good post - I saw your tweet earlier and was going to ask you to link to the offending blog.
Will try leaving an "I'm a Brit!" comment and see what happens :-)
PS nice plague hospital pic...
Thank you very much!! I live in the US and have been with and without insurance. The system does not work for so many!
I have several family members who have had to deal with the "wait, you are over-weight = no surgery" issue. However, both instances were doctors saying no because of issues with anesthesia/blood clot potential/recovery process.....I am unsure what I think about those issues versus the obviously horrid idea of an insurance company saying..."no, you are just too fat." Regardless, the idea of a FAT CZAR is ludicrous.
Oh, I wouldn't put it past Brown to appoint a "Fat Czar" at some point. The mistake is assuming it means anything at all.
Appointing some useless chum on a nice salary as Knifecrime Czar, or whatever, is a standard non-response of the UK goverment to either to hyped-up non-problems (Respect Czar) or real problems they aren't actually going to tackle (Drugs Czar). Scotland even had a Food Czar for a while, apparently. None of'em ever did anything as far as I know.
Same deal here in Canada - I've never heard of someone being denied treatment for being overweight, or for smoking, or anything else
I'm an American without health insurance, and was for socialized health care even before I lost my insurance. I think it's utterly ridiculous that the Republicans are actually succeeding in using their fear mongering to scare under educated, overweight Americans against socialized health insurance. People need to do their own research, as I have. Also, every American should see Michael Moore's "Sicko." It's sick that many of my fellow Americans are against socialized health care because they're scared they will be taxed a bit more and have to give up a bit of their excessive acquiring of more material goods that they don't need.
What worries me is that the same forces that are aligning to try and maintain the status quo in the US are also chipping away at our National Health Service. Fortunately the British public, far from being dismayed with their socialised healthcare, cherish and value the NHS and for the foreseeable future are unlikely to allow our politicians who are being leaned on by Big Business to move towards an American system of healthcare.
As Dr Grumble can doubtless confirm, there are many legitimate reasons why someone significantly overweight might not get a treatment they are asking for. Jennifer has already sunmmarised several of them in the comment above.
The osteoarthritis setting is an interesting one for "framing" the debate. Suppose someone in early midde age who is 10-15 kg overweight comes to the doc complaining about their arthritic knees and insisting they want knee replacement surgery. The doctor assesses their knees, and talks to them about their pain, and their lifestyle and degree of physical activity. The doctor is aware that for people of this age and with this set of symptoms, loss of 5 kg in weight, plus proper use of painkillers and a bit of physical activity, usually controls the symptoms without the need for surgery.
Now, what would you say was the doctor's duty to the patient?
I should say that I got this little scenario from my wife, who is an NHS doctor.
Did you hear about the craziest anti-reform argument ever? It was an editorial in Investors Business Daily (whatever that is) that said, “People such as scientist Stephen Hawking wouldn’t have a chance in the U.K., where the National Health Service would say the life of this brilliant man, because of his physical handicaps, is essentially worthless.”
It depends what you mean by 'prefer', and I hate to say this (and please read to the end!) but as an expat Brit who's been living in the US for many years, with a family (parents, siblings, their families) and friends still in England...I prefer US medical care. To be more exact: I think it's pretty clear that if you have good health insurance here (the sort my employer provides, for example), you get much better medical care than you do on the NHS in Britain. I can't say how well-covered medical care here compares with privately insured medical care in Britain, but it also seems clear that you have a be a lot better off to afford proper private insurance in Britain than you have to be to have good insurance here.
And I say all this despite having gone through paperwork hell dealing with the absurdities of the US insurance system in the wake of the birth of my daughter last year. I'd still rather have done all that than deal with some of the health-care absurdities my brother and his wife had to deal with in the same situation – missing staff, insufficient equipment, etc.
I had to confess all this, given your remark about never having met any familiar with both systems who preferred the US system. But like I said, it depends what you mean by 'prefer': the above comparison is a purely selfish one. I think the US system is appalling overall, and I couldn't be happier about the recent steps Congress has taken in the right direction. I'm for socialised medicine, (without scare quotes), in other words, and for fixing what ails it in Britain.
Post a Comment
<< Home