American Healthcare, A UK Perspective

[Vonne]

The brutal truth about America’s healthcare
An extraordinary report from Guy Adams in Los Angeles at the music arena that has been turned into a makeshift medical centre

They came in their thousands, queuing through the night to secure one of the coveted wristbands offering entry into a strange parallel universe where medical care is a free and basic right and not an expensive luxury. Some of these Americans had walked miles simply to have their blood pressure checked, some had slept in their cars in the hope of getting an eye-test or a mammogram, others had brought their children for immunisations that could end up saving their life.

In the week that Britain's National Health Service was held aloft by Republicans as an "evil and Orwellian" example of everything that is wrong with free healthcare, these extraordinary scenes in Inglewood, California yesterday provided a sobering reminder of exactly why President Barack Obama is trying to reform the US system.

The LA Forum, the arena that once hosted sell-out Madonna concerts, has been transformed – for eight days only – into a vast field hospital. In America, the offer of free healthcare is so rare, that news of the magical medical kingdom spread rapidly and long lines of prospective patients snaked around the venue for the chance of getting everyday treatments that many British people take for granted.

Independent.co.uk

[Vonne]

Healthcare compared

Health spending as a share of GDP

US 16%

UK 8.4%

Public spending on healthcare (% of total spending on healthcare)

US 45%

UK 82%

Health spending per head

US $7,290

UK $2,992

Practising physicians (per 1,000 people)

US 2.4

UK 2.5

Nurses (per 1,000 people)

US 10.6

UK 10.0

Acute care hospital beds (per 1,000 people)

US 2.7

UK 2.6

Life expectancy:

US 78

UK 80

Infant mortality (per 1,000 live births)

US 6.7

UK 4.8

Source: WHO/OECD Health Data 2009, Article

[Vonne]

UK defends its healthcare

The fractious British political classes have united in defence of the UK’s healthcare system after it has become a byword for the failings of universal, state-funded provision among the US Republican right.

Gordon Brown, prime minister, and David Cameron, leader of the Conservative opposition party, on Friday both declared their commitment to the National Health Service.

The US right has used the NHS as an example of the potential pitfalls facing President Barack Obama as he tries to push through a healthcare reform bill.

Some Republicans have ridiculed it as a bureaucratic and “Orwellian” system that often denies care to the elderly – with Sarah Palin, the former Republican presidential candidate, decrying it as “evil”.

But in Britain, where since 1948 all citizens have enjoyed free healthcare from birth to death, the attacks are widely seen as wrong and insulting.

Financial Times

[Vonne]

Regardless of your agreement or disagreement, I always find it interesting to read the perspective others on such things.  Fascinating.

[Miss Mia]

Vonne, I'll go through your links better tomorrow when I'm in a better state of mind.

I do think we need healthcare reform in this country, something needs to be done, but I'd rather read what you've provided before I comment further.

[Vonne]

Vonne, I'll go through your links better tomorrow when I'm in a better state of mind.

I do think we need healthcare reform in this country, something needs to be done, but I'd rather read what you've provided before I comment further.

No worries.  I'm not necessarily stating that the views portrayed in these articles are my own.  Although I'm an agreement that we need massive health care reform in this country.

I'm merely trying to share another perspective.  Especially in light, of the torrid attacks on British health care by certain politicians as of late.  Granted, the Independent is one of those sensationalist news orgs IMHO.