Ha ha ha. 30 years ago my father's life saving surgery was 200K. Cancer - you are looking at well beyond. You develop a chronic condition, your costs can skyrocket well over 100K a year depending on your problem. Dialysis. Ugh. I'm not a fan of universal healthcare based on what my friends from up north tell me, but your costs are low.
But with copays, you can easily still pay. If your copay is like $10,000 or whatever and insurance covers the rest, that’s still really affordable. Also, if you have good health insurance, you’re covered. For example, my friend had to have serious heart surgery at Stanford and he only had to pay like $5,000 and his excellent healthcare plan covered the $245,000 remaining balance. Still affordable.
My insurance dictates my treatment. My doctor prescribes something. Insurance denies. Doctor prescribes something else. Insurance denies. We repeat until insurance finally agrees that I can have a particular medicine.
My understanding is a lot of the necessary things are free, but the people in my group tell me if they want extras or newer drugs of the very-nice-but-not-absolutely-necessary category (such as what @a2z linked) they have to find alternate methods. Again, I believe you when you say a lot is covered, but my experience talking to people says CF patients in the states have as standard a lot of things CF patients in the UK don't get to have.
I can't tell if this is serious. Yes, different companies advertise their drugs. We really like our competetive free market. But if you honestly think the average patient walks into the office and tells the doctor what he wants based off some ad... wow. Yeah, that doesn't happen like that.
Because doctors are part of the group. They just don't appeal to random patients. Far more money is spend presenting these medicines to medical professionals.
I was speaking as the general U.S. opinion of liking the ability to make things and advertise and sell them. Not to get political, but I've never actually heard anyone that's against that. May I pick your brain as to why? Only you got me curious.
I came from a country of socialized care (Hungary) and it's still like that, although you have the option to pay out of pocket for private care. Growing up it seemed ok, everyone worked and had free healthcare but looking back and comparing what we have here, the treatment was subpar. Doctors are doctors so they will cure you, but the access to western medicine (as in American and not Eastern European) was extremely limited, hospitals were scary, dentists as well. It was customary, almost mandatory to tip your surgeon. They called it "pocket money", because you would discreetly put a large sum of money in their pocket during a consultation, before your surgery. This mount was a huge hardship on a lot of families - none of us were healthy, it was socialism. Now it got to the point that if you can, you choose private care. My mom said in most hospitals they have such horrible conditions that if you go for a surgery you're almost certain to catch some virus / or most likely infection due to subpar sanitation that will leave you with horrible complications. When my dad went in there for a routine procedure in 2017, he was already in failing health but he caught some kind of an infection in his intestines, he almost died. He was on a ventilator, etc. Many people died from it. Because his liver was already failing it couldn't handle all the medicine they pumped into him and this probably led to his death 2 months later. He might have had only another 6 months, but still.
In the UK we can also opt for private health care though insurance. OK as long as you are not seriously ill. Once you get something serious then the insurance doesn't cover it and you have to rely on the NHS. Plus if, while receiving private care you contract something like MRSA then they immediately send you to an NHS hospital. As for end of life care, forget it. This is only a story I know but one of my best friends has always had private health care. He is always ill. Every time we meet he is popping some pill or other or following some regime for his health. He is the same age as me. I postulated that the reason he is always 'ill' is that his doctor only gets paid when he is prescribing something or having my friend back for more 'consultations'. I bet he has spent 10X more time in front of a health professional than me and has undergone 5x more procedures than me. Is he healthier than me? Probably not.
I doubt this is true. Most of those medical ads end with ask your doctor about this drug or something along those lines. Most of these ads are marketed towards older people who they show in the ads complaining about one thing or another and telling them to ask there doctor about it.
Discussing options with a doctor including a treatment you heard about it a far cry from the implied telling the doctor exactly what you want.
Just a quick update. Since the previous post I have been having some health adventures. A bout of Pneumonia resulted in a visit to A&E (ER) for lots of examinations and various scans which resulted in 5 days in hospital and massive doses of antibiotics. While there they discovered I have an atrial fibrillation and leaky heart valve. So now on 5 other medications. Several consultations with various experts later and in a few weeks I shall be undergoing a cardio version (stop and restart the heart) and follow up treatments. The total cost to me for all this.........£0 Seems like contributing to this thread tempted fate!
My goodness! I hope your health improves and wish you health. Be well. This is why I am NOT waiting until my sixties to retire because my health could suddenly fail and then I could be bed-ridden or severely hindered from doing anything fun. 50 is the latest that I will work and not a year more, lol!
Thanks. I should have added. Had I still have been working in a school then I would be entitled to 6 months sick leave on full pay and if needed another 6 months on half pay. Plus, if the school had to hire a sub I would not be responsible for paying their wages.
My brother went through the same experience. He is now off most meds and is doing fine. I hope for the same for you.
Thanks That's what I am hoping for. Have a vacation to Chicago booked for mid October. That may have to be postponed
Saw Cardiologist Wednesday. Got procedure next Tuesday. If all goes well should be firing on all cylinders shortly afterwards. Probably not soon enough for our trip to the US but postponing that until Spring won't be a problem.
If anyone in the US claimed to support a policy like this they would be marked a Socialist. Does the UK need more citizens?
Sadly our 12 years of Conservative Government has seen a lot of 'American' practices come into the labour market. Many jobs these days are on zero hour contracts with no guaranteed hours, no sick pay and no holidays. It will only get worse. Even many teachers no longer have the labour protections they used to have as the Government forces many schools to become Academies (Charters) and allows then to avoid using the National teacher contracts.
Which is weird because when I read your declaration of independence it reads like a socialist manifesto.
When you put it into context, however, it becomes clear that rich white men were the most likely to reap the benefits of the "unalienable Rights," which is still somewhat the case.
Update. procedure seems to have worked. Still need a few more checkups and tests over the next few months. Cancelled the vacation to Chicago, hopefully will re-book for Spring and catch the end of the Hawks' season rather than the start. Started back at work 2 weeks ago, did 7 days subbing in a Grammar school (Selective school). Great kids. Next week I start 2 weeks in a 'normal' school. Still on the meds but hopefully once I have seen the cardiologist in a couple of weeks they will be reduced.
