It seems like there is always something with us and the National Healthcare System (NHS). You might remember last year we dealt with a possible problem with Cerys and ended up paying privately to get some answers. Thankfully it was all sorted fairy quickly after we paid for her to be seen. I'm so thankful we are taken well care of by our company, so that we can be able to pay a private doctor for things like this. But then there are a lot of people here that can't do that and that makes me sad for them. Especially those waiting for years for operations due to lack of beds in hospitals or long waiting lists to see specialists.
My recent minor operation to remove that fatty lump (gross) was taken care of fairly quickly. The GP didn't know what to do with me, so she referred me to a specialists at a private hospital. I got in to see him within a few months, which was quite good I thought considering all things. After I got my first appointment, things moved fast since he asked if I could pay for the scan and the surgery. If I had not been able to pay, it would have taken longer.
Around the first of December I had the GP look at a mole I have (sorry, another gross!) because I'm so fair skinned and have had several removed, I thought this one was worth having a doctor take a look. She agreed it needed to be removed and said it could be done in the office. Wow. I was surprised that it would be that easy. Should've known. I was told I would be contacted by the secretary and made an appointment time to come in. I never heard anything, then a few days later we went to Africa. After we returned, I had a letter in the post saying that I had been referred to a dermatologist at the hospital (not sure what happened to "oh, we can do it in the office") and I should be getting an appointment time soon. Remember, that you can't make your own appointments for things like this. They just send you a letter in the post and if you can't make it at that time, you go back on the waiting list. So, after months of waiting to hear from the hospital, I phoned them today to ask where I was on the list.
I was told that I was on the "routine" list and from the start of January it was 5 months long. Once I reach the top of the list, I would be contacted again to make an appointment. So, I'm looking at maybe getting a chance to set up an appointment sometime in June.
Several of you have emailed and asked what our opinion of socialized medicine is. We appreciate you asking. Maybe this will help some of you understand what millions of people here are facing. We've had some good experiences with the NHS, we really have - but right now, I think there are some serious things that need to change. I have a friend here that has an 11 month old baby that needs to be seen by a pediatrician. She is not sitting up or standing and there is major concern, as you can imagine, with this sweet mother. She is STILL waiting for an appointment with a pediatrician at the hospital. She was told last week that it would be July before she was able to be seen. My heart breaks for her. My other question is...so they are telling her that every pediatrician at every hospital is booked solid- patient after patient-5 days a week- until July? I don't think so. Something does not add up.
Monday, March 17, 2008
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It's funny---Tad and I have been talking a lot about this. I've been reading a lot about how the term "socialized healthcare" has a very vague meaning depending on who you talk to. After knowing your stories and also several friends from Canada who have those horrible wait times, I kept thinking that there must be a way to avoid the waiting but still make it available to everyone. And I also know that many, many people who will read this comment have very strong feelings about Hillary Clinton, but I like her current proposal. If you like your current health plan you keep it but you have the option to change it if you want something different. I keep thinking that the best idea is to deal with the insurance companies rather than actually changing the whole health care system and that's what I understand from her plan. I also agree with McCain's statement that everyone needs to have a personal investment in their healthcare....but it has to be reasonable and affordable. Anyway....more than you maybe anticipated. :) And I also wonder what it will take to actually make any of it happen...
But...just for fun, this is the link to Hillary Clinton's health care plan. If anyone hasn't actually read it, it might hold some surprises that you might actually like.:) Hope no one gets mad at me... http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/healthcare/
I have yet to hear someone in a country with socialized healthcare NOT have to wait and NOT be at the mercy of the doctor/hospital. You get what you pay for. Frankly, I don't want to pay more taxes so my healthcare level can be lowered to the same level as my neighbor. I want the best possible care in the quickest possible manner. I'd rather pay out of my pocket to get it than to have the government control it all for me.
I can only imagine what we would have gone through with Ben last week if we had been where you are, Charity!!
Clearly, Monica and I don't agree on this topic. = )
Monica, I'm quite proud of you for educating us! I have to admit, I didn't know that in Hillary's plan you could keep your own health plan.
Charity, thank you so much for making us aware of the situation "from the inside". Sometimes in the military (especially in San Diego where I have to go to navy doctors), I feel like I live in a mini version of socialized medicine. My pcp is a great example. Let's say I needed to make a routine appt for a referral. It would take about a month to be seen. If something came up "suddenly", they have "sick appts". The problem with those is you can't get them until the day of (system only shows the next 24 hrs) and every time I have called the morning of, all of those are already filled. I'll never understand that. Ever. So, then I'll say, "Well, let's just make an appt and I'll get in whenever". They tell me they can't do that because I'm sick and the scheduled appt wiill take too long. I must go to the E.R. Seriously, the solution to getting treated for sickness in the middle of the day is the E.R?
Of course they can do whatever they want with us because they know we're stuck. And at the end of the day, we haven't paid anything (except what every other taxpayer is paying for my medical care), so I don't really feel like I can complain. (The reason I shouldn't complain is because scripture says do everything without grumbling or complaint, but in my selfish nature that doesn't always seem like enough reason).
As for paying out of pocket, I'm so glad you've been able to. Some of the things I've had to do, I know there would be no way, and that's not even counting Samantha. I think in some post I calculated how much her meds cost. The Vest that she'll be getting in June is $15,000. That's crazy, but then again everything medical is.
OK, I wrote a really, really long comment (2+ pages in word), but have shortened it to the following to try and avoid getting on my soapbox (it's an educational/occupational hazard with this topic).
First, I have to say I am so, so sorry for your friend Charity. Having to wait that long to see a pediatrician, especially with concerns like those, is just wrong.
However, having said that, I’m with Monica. The current system in the US is not working and the problem is only going to get worse. We have to do something, and while I don’t think purely socialized medicine is the answer, I think we have figure out how to fix our current system. If talking about a national health care system is how we get there, then let's start talking.
Ha ha! Good old NHS! Levi is also still waiting :(
I've never heard of "socialized healthcare" but that's what we've got right? I guess the plus side to it is that everyone is entitled to the same (normally) good treatment for free - that's pretty acey pacey brill; and if you can pay you can get the same treatment but a bit quicker in a nicer hospital.
That said, getting help for children with special needs is a long and difficult process and from my experience whoever shouts the loudest gets seen quickest. Not really very fair, but the system is kinda swamped. I say this as someone who tends to get kids with problems referred to me by GPs, I then refer them to Ed Psychs, who then refer them to various specialists. My list usually has 5 or 6 kids on it but the Ed Psych can only take 3 of them each year from me because she has so many other kids to deal with. Once they make it to the top of my list, they go on the Ed Psych's list, then the Specialist's list, and then usually back to me to start again with a different angle for a different specialist! And the paperwork is astronomical!
I still thinks it's nice that I pay from my riches so that someone else can get the same as me in their poverty. And if I want better than them? I have to pay more, but still pay towards their care. I think that's a good system. I guess if we who could afford it paid a bit more then everyone could have nicer hospitals, more doctors and shorter waiting lists. Yes, I am crackers, and I probably would vote for a party who would raise my taxes if the money would really be used to help everyone else.
This is a prime example of why we DO NOT need or want socialized medicine in the United States. This is one of the big pushes from the Democrats. It really scares me. Our present system isn't perfect, but everyone can get needed medical care in a rather timely manner. We just need a way to allow people to purchase health insurance at a reasonable price.
Alicia, I am military too. The only way to get a sick day appointment is to go to tricareonline.com and register. Then they show the following 24 hours with your PCM or any other available doctor at the clinic. If you wait until the day of, then everyone has already booked them through tricareonline.com (TOL they call it - acronyms for everyone). I usually check TOL before noon for an appointment the next morning. Can someone make sure Alicia gets this info? I don't think I know her.
I think it's true, Monica, that a great deal of the current problem lies with insurance companies, but that in itself stems from lawsuit abuse running up prices for everyone. We need tort reform desperately.
My problem with Hillary's plan (sorry) is not so much that she wants everyone to have health care. Not everyone wants health care and her plan mandates it, from how I understand it. About half the current uninsured choose to be uninsured, and that's their choice. Plus, it isn't free healthcare, we pay out the nose for it in taxes. Plus, what is Medicaid after all? Insurance for the poor. And states have insurance programs in place for underprivileged children already (in Texas it's called CHIP).
Plus, it's yet another entitlement from the government. We have so many who feel entitled to have the government pay for everything for their entire lives (many times for generations), and that has nothing to do with the constitution, and it cripples the economy. I am against a nanny state. I think it's great to help people over a hump, or through a rough time, but punishing people for being successful (e.g. overtaxing the "rich") so that everyone can have life-long handouts is immoral, I think. Those "rich" people are the ones who create jobs, and they are being taxed to death, which causes jobs to go overseas or small business to close. Why add one more government-mandated hindrance for them?
Wow, I bet Charity didn't think her blog would get this much traffic! Yet here I go, adding one more log to the fire in the spirit of friendly debate. :-)
1. I'm quickly discovering that most people who are against Hillary's healthcare proposal haven't actually READ Hillary's healthcare proposal. They're remembering her previous attempts from the early '90s and making inaccurate assumptions. There is nothing "socialized" about her plan. No one is "forced" to change anything about their current insurance coverage. It simply provides options for those who have no insurance or don't like their current provider. And yes, people without insurance do have to get some, but this is not a bad thing. It will keep more people out of the E.R. when they could have taken preventative measures before their situation required emergency treatment.
2. Liz makes a very good point about the number of people who feel "entitled" to government handouts just because they breathe our polluted air. (Let's have a discussion about students who feel "entitled" to good grades because they simply pay tuition... perhaps another day.) But alas, I am a "bleeding heart liberal", and if even one person benefits from having quality healthcare where none existed before, then the extra taxes are worth it.
3. To bring it closer to home, Monica and I will be facing tough decisions regarding healthcare over the next two years. This past year, Monica's job provided amazing coverage and incredibly low premiums provided by the state of Wisconsin. (Incidentally, if the entire country could adopt this plan, we'd all be better off! $68 per month for the whole family, no co-pays, $500 deductible, includes dental and vision.) But for 08-09, we will be using Lawrence University's plan, which increases our premium by over 700% for worse coverage. It also accounts for 25% of my biweekly pay check.
For 09-10, if we don't find another job, then we'll be moving to a large city so that I can be a freelance coach & performer. Has anyone priced individual policies lately? It ain't pretty, folks. And we're not about to choose to be uninsured with two small children.
So in conclusion, maybe Hillary's plan isn't perfected yet... or Obama's... or McCain's... but at least it's being discussed seriously for the first time. If we can move past partisan politics, our healthcare coverage could become a model system for the world.
Wow. Michael Moore must have forgotten to add that into Sicko.
Alrighty then folks!!! :) Who knew my little post about a waiting list would spark such great conversation! If you know me, then you know I hate confrontation and don't speak my mind often enough- so this was good for me! I was so nervous about getting comments that I squinted my eyes and held my breath as each comment came in. Yes, clearly I have issues. :)
Seriously, thanks everyone for speaking your opinion. I think some very good points were made...and I will admit to you Tad and Monica- you are right...I have not read Hilary's proposal, so thank you for the link. I shall go educate myself now. :)
Liz,
Thank you so much for your input. Unfortunately, I'm at a particularly badly staffed outpatient clinic! Honestly, I didn't know about the online scheduling-thank you so much for telling me, but sadly I'm out of luck there as well. I just registered, then selected "new problem/urgent" appt. There are none available, and it is 12:30 here right now. I should use this chance to say that not every military clinic I go to is this bad. My daughter is seen at our Naval Hospital (most can't get in there, but she has special permission), and then my son's PCP is allowed to be there as well because he's a sibling. It's never a problem getting an appt and getting seen there. I'm just at a REALLY bad clinic. I'll definitely still go online whenever I need the appt just in case. And it's really good to know if we ever change regions!
Tad - I agree that there are people who need some help. I'm not opposed to helping them, I'm not that cruel, even if I am a Republican, ha! =)
However, the beef is that I don't think this is the way. The federal government has a track record of zero on improving people's lives. Take government housing, yeah that worked great. Or social secority which will soon go bankrupt, or welfare. On and on, the government has proven themselves 100% incapable of correcting the problem. We already have Medicaid and it apparently hasn't helped any.
That's why I think intense tort reform and stricter regulations of the insurance industry are a better way to go. Why not require the insurance companies to provide low premium, low deductible policies to low-income people? Couple that with tort reform, so that they will be protected from litigious people, and can actually afford to do so without going under, and you've got my vote. And that way, we won't be mandated to do anything. Whatever happened to the "freedom of choice" mantra that the Democrats always chant?
I'm not being ugly, really. I just don't think that the Hillary supporters have thought through the implications of her plan on the entirety of society, especially the economy. And once we go there, we're trapped. We can never, ever go back, because people feel, well, entitled.
If we had a little more personal responsibility, instead of buying things on credit that we can't afford, and saving an emergency fund, then people could afford to buy themselves health insurance. I know, I sound like Dave Ramsey. =)
Love to all my Democrat friends. Truly.
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