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.

Change at Baker Street

Has it been ten weeks? Urk. I blame Twitter for letting off too much blogsteam.



Youse should all go and see Robin's play Broken Holmes on the Edinburgh Fringe.
It's got witty metafictional gubbins, knob jokes, angst, murder and poisonous snakes. And the cast are brilliant. I went to a preview in a pub in that there London, and had to leave my beer undrunk during the performance for fear of laughing it up my nose. You can, and should, buy tickets here.