I can't imagine not having a national health service funded by taxes.

I have a disease called Meniere's, it is a condition with no cure which results in deafness and permanent lack of balance.
It was undiagnosed until recently, I get 'whiteouts' like a blackout but white noise in my ears and white loss of vision like an electric shock, I'm still aware of myself just lose sense of sound, vision, and lose balance. Loads of scars from falling this year.

Before docs knew what it was I've had allsorts, from MRI scans to heart monitors, all paid for by my taxes over the years. Now I'm on a drug which keeps me stable ish so I can continue still working. Like a fool I thought I had another strip of the tablets left but nope, I'd run out, on a Friday evening. It is a drug which needs a doctor prescription so as my doc's was closed I rang 111 healthline. Friendly person, checked my name and stuff, then emailed the pharmacy my prescription to pick up in the next hour if I need to.

I am so pleased, honestly, last time I ran out I was collapsing within two days, got the scars to prove it lol.
So, just celebrating universal healthcare here, I think everyone should have it in the world. I can't imagine going bankrupt for healthcare bills...and I'm still definitely in credit with the NHS, I've paid many many tens of thousands in tax all my working life from age 16.

Universal healthcare rocks...and just saved my sorry ass with a phonecall...and it cost me nothing, not even the phonecall.

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

Can you imagine actually recieving the majority of the paycheck you worked for rather than being forced to pay the majority of it to the government which did nothing but sit on it's ass with it's hand jammed in your pocket?

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy
Wonder what is the Medical Malpractice conditions in your neck of the woods, are people & lawyers sue-happy for anything that smells like malpractice ?, over here according to a neurosurgeon buddy of mine he pays over half his income to insurance companies

a reply to: burdman30ott6
I'm happy to pay the taxes, I'd even pay more if it improved health and social care services.
Different mindsets I guess.
Tax ain't too bad here, still have a decent life after tax.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

Can you imagine actually recieving the majority of the paycheck you worked for rather than being forced to pay the majority of it to the government which did nothing but sit on it's ass with it's hand jammed in your pocket?

About 1/5 of my paycheck goes to health insurance for me and my kids. I'd LOVE to stop paying that, pay a little more in taxes, and receive healthcare. Even paying that much in insurance, Dr. appointments, medicine, etc... still cost me quite a bit out of pocket.

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

Really sorry to hear you have that condition. Sounds some what disconcerting, to say the least. And I'm glad to hear you're happy with your health care system.

Generally speaking, the health care system in the US pretty much sucks because Doctors in the US pretty much suck and what they are the absolute worst at is diagnosis. They more often than not treat for the wrong disease and frankly, they obviously don't give a crap. It wouldn't really matter if we had a government health care system or not.......with the quality of care problem, a government health care system would probably be worse than the current system because most of the best doctors would opt out and then only the wealthy would get decent care. But overall, that's pretty much the case today with the current system. You get cancer in the US and you're dead in 6 months; treatments are useless and retirees around where I live tell me they're basically just waiting to see who get's their cancer next. I think that's why a lot of Americans eat themselves to death.

originally posted by: manuelram16
a reply to: CornishCeltGuy
Wonder what is the Medical Malpractice conditions in your neck of the woods, are people & lawyers sue-happy for anything that smells like malpractice ?, over here according to a neurosurgeon buddy of mine he pays over half his income to insurance companies

People don't really sue here in the UK, again, different cultures.
I was given the wrong drug years ago for something and suffered pain for an extra few days as a result...no way was I going to sue the hard working doctor who made the mistake. I lived, just was in pain for longer had she given me the correct drug.
It would take a lot for me to sue anyone who had the right intentions just messed up after a 12 hour shift..

a reply to: TonyS
Gosh that sounds harsh.
My mother has beaten 3 different cancers with the NHS, and a mate had major surgery saving his life a year or so ago, same another mate had a brain tumour removed a couple of months ago.
All free at the point of need, no worries about how to pay for it.

Sorry, but the "I'm happy to pay higher taxes if..." argument is a personal position which has zero bearing or impact to the underlying concept of taxation being little more than adminsitratively legalized theft. A fundamental human right is the right of choice over one's own earnings. I exchange my valuable time for a set rate of compensation, there's no justification for the government to lay claim to any of my time unless I am incarcerated, so why in the blue hell do they have a right to lay claim to a portion of what I exchange my time for? If that means some folks have to pay more for medical procedures they have elected to undergo, so be it... your earnings, your wealth, your choices, leave me TF out of it.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
Sorry, but the "I'm happy to pay higher taxes if..." argument is a personal position which has zero bearing or impact to the underlying concept of taxation being little more than adminsitratively legalized theft.

That is just your personal position, and maybe the position of half of US people.
If there was a vote in the UK tomorrow asking 'Should we adopt a personal insurance/liability system of healthcare and scrap the taxation funded NHS?' the result would be overwhelmingly no. Cultural differences as I said, don't attempt to describe your definition of 'rights' as one the whole world follows.

The US is probably the only developed nation which doesn't offer taxation funded healthcare to its people.

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

For starters, let me just say I am glad you are OK. Having any medical emergency is frightening and I am happy for you that you got it taken care of without bankrupting yourself.

However, can you imagine living in a country where it was illegal for a hospital to deny emergency/life saving stabilizing treatment regardless of ability to pay? How about one that "lets" you keep ~65% of your paycheck (which is still ridiculously high taxes)? That is U.S.

That being said, I wouldn't have a problem with healthcare if the government trims the fat elsewhere. As it stands now, we simply can't afford it. Or haven't you heard? We're not just flat broke, we're actually 20-something trillion dollars in debt. Yes, we don't own anything anymore. The government is worse than broke, its in debt. That's what being in debt means - that someone else owns it, not you

Besides, insurance companies already have far too much power. If it was centralized, all that would happen is free choice is eliminated and what they say is final.

Notice the young children your healthcare system has murdered recently? By refusing the child's parents right to treat them as they see fit without meddling by the State/government. Imagine living in that kind of country. That is where I want to live.

...and if that means I die due to lack of coverage for something, then so be it. Freedom is never free. Our Freedom is paid for through the blood,sweat and tears of Americans

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

The US is probably the only developed nation which doesn't offer taxation funded healthcare to its people.

We aren't "its" people

Government was created by/and exists by our continuing permission and consent only.

Government is the subject, not the Citizen.

And we pay enough taxes as it is. We don't have the money for healthcare, or anything else. Again, we aren't just broke we are in debt - which is infinitely worse than merely being broke. Being in debt is the lowest low you can get - you aren't just broke, but someone else actually owns all your stuff. That is where we are right now.

We can't afford it. We can not afford it. Wish to God we could. Because with the exorbitant taxes w e already pay, there should be no sick [due to lack of ins] or hungry people in America. yet somehow, due to extreme corruption incompetence and mismanagement, there still are

I'm so glad that our congressmen and representatives have top of the line health care paid for by my taxes. They are doing a fine job keeping the corporate insurance and pharmacology industries obscenely profitable and they need taxpayer paid subsidies for research.

Corporate socialism for those that don't need it. MAGA

originally posted by: olaru12
I'm so glad that our congressmen and representatives have top of the line health care paid for by my taxes. They are doing a fine job keeping the corporate insurance and pharmacology industries obscenely profitable and they need taxpayer paid subsidies for research.

Corporate socialism for those that don't need it. MAGA

Now this is the kind of argument I can get behind

Why in the hell should those low-lifes get better insurance than the rest of us

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

My wife was diagnosed with Meniere's years back. They treated her with umm meclizine at first and then tried scopamine patches (which caused all sorts of skin irritation) and then valium. Then she spontaneously went into remission after maybe a year? Hasn't had any symptoms in a number of years now. So there's hope.

I don't remember her hearing white noise, but there was a complete lack of balance and I remember her eyes would sort of jitter from side to side like her brain was trying to make sense of the loss of input from her inner ear and find the horizon.

It was pretty terrible. When she first started to have symptoms, the bouts were frequent to the point that she was afraid to drive. I think of everything, the valium was the most effective treatment.

You definitely have a better system, no bones about it.
It makes no sense to pay premiums all year, then have to meet deductibles, and then cover out-of-pocket expenses for what insurance still won't over when you do meet them on top of the expense of premiums & deductibles, but Americans are dumb enough to think that's a bargain set-up.

If you're paying a a grand a month and have a 5 grand deductible, you're already paying more in insurance annually percentage-wise than you would via a tax hike of 5%or 10% to abolish that premium & deductible gobbling. But evidently we're more than happy to keep flushing our money down the toilet on premiums & deductibles versus seeing much less lost to a tax to get the same benefits, so....

a reply to: CornishCeltGuy

I can only agree my friend, I have no issue at all with paying for a service I hope I never use, but the fact its there in the event of me needing it, is one of lifes great reassurances, I have friends with similar long term illness which have required surgery.

If you could just relay a story of a hard working friend of mine who had been in full time employment until 37, always paid his way, he had some issues and went to see a doctor, they told him he had a tumor on his brain, can you imagine for that moment the devastation and the feeling of your life being snapped away. He was offered surgery via the NHS and had the tumor removed, unfortunatley it regrew and required second surgery and had caused some issues (I am not a doctor, sorry) which led to partial paralysis, leaving him wheel chair bound, he had to sell his property as it was a upper floor flat, which then was put towards his care.

Now the NHS/Benefit system subsidise his aftercare to a cost of £100000+ a year, as he requires 24 hour assistance, he has been this way for 15years now, I guess when some people hear this they will be outraged BUT maybe one day it will be you, your loved one, your son, your daughter.

The people of the NHS do it because they love there job, they care for people, it stands for something to work at the NHS, I would never want my care or a loved ones care to be decided by an insurance broker, who thinks my care is gonna cut into his share price

The NHS might not be perfect for all and there will be people who have been mistreated (sad but true) but this is what it is founded on



Any government wants more taxes, taxes will always rise, but knowing them politicians have actually got to set money aside for this, at least makes them work, I doubt the taxation in britain would be any different without the NHS and most people can earn £11500 TAX FREE every year, then you will pay %21 on anything you earn after that, with the average wage being about £25000 a year you will pay %21 of £13500 therefore £2835

which if you look at the wage of £25000 and total tax of £2835 that aint so bad is it, to provide free health care to ALL

a reply to: JBurns
We have private healthcare as well, my ex wife has it and has been treated a few weeks quicker as a result.
Nobody stops us funding ourselves, and the 'murdered children' you mentioned were under the care of NHS doctors, treatment was futile according to all doctors except the ones offering the 'treatment' to an already brain damaged child.
If the parents had taken out their own private healthcare they would have got the treatment because they would not have been in the NHS system with NHS doctors making the decision...and of course the private doctors would have allowed it because there would have been an earner for them.

Don't believe everything in places like the Daily Mail or whatever, no offence intended, but that story was spun like # by US media.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

I don't want my tax dollars going to a bloated military but i have no choice in the matter do I? Sometimes sacrifices are necessary for the greater good. Do you agree with that?

a reply to: theantediluvian
I can't drive anymore, not that I would want to lol, my doctor had to notify authorities and I have to go like a year or something without an episode now before I can get my licence back.
It's cool though, means when I'm working out of town I get an hour or so extra sleeping in a passenger seat while someone else drives haha.