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Obama Care Yet Again

Something I'll never grasp is the American attitude to a proper universal healthcare system. The NHS is a great success story in Britain imo.

Not so sure it is all that great. I think I read that on some web site somewhere. Since you live there, care to briefly outline the benefits of your system and tell us/me where our system falls short?

Were you aware that we are forbidden by law to turn away emergencies in this country? Is it this way in GB? And every so-called free system is not free; it costs money.

So educate me/us.
 
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20-30 years ago the NHS probably was great, but not any more, not since all the illegal immigrants and asylum seekers have bloated it, and they are not the only problem, the brits who live off the state and cant be bothered to get a job and end up with various issues due to a lack of exercise and diet are just as bad IMO.

It (the NHS) is at least in part paid my National Insurance contributions more info on the rates Here and is deducted from gross pay, as is Income Tax.

Generally you get your NI card when you turn 16, and this probably equates to your social security number, its with you for life, and so every employer will deduct your NI automatically and they also contribute on your behalf. In order to get a full state pension you need to have paid into the NI system for something like 30 years, otherwise you only get partial state pension. I believe you can also get an NI card when becoming a British citizen.

NHS coveres pretty much all health care, and hospital fees along with dental.

Thats a start, im sure someone else will correct me if im wrong, and/or add to the explanation.
 
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This is only he case in government owned hospitals. Not the case if they are privately owned. Worth noting IMO.

I am not so sure that is true. Unless you are talking about hospitals in GB. Not sure, so feel free to clarify if I am wrong.

It might be, but suppose I had an emergency and the only hospital close by was a private hospital, and they turned me away? I would sue them, and that is one reason I think I would get immediate attention. They fear a crushing law suit.

Then again, I am not sure about private hospitals and the rules that apply.
 
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The NHS is based on three core principles:


  • that it meet the needs of everyone
  • that it be free at the point of delivery
  • that it be based on clinical need, not ability to pay

Can't have that kind of socialist crap here. You can't pay, you deserve to die. What are they trying to do, put the insurance companies out of business?
 
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20-30 years ago the NHS probably was great, but not any more, not since all the illegal immigrants and asylum seekers have bloated it, and they are not the only problem, the brits who live off the state and cant be bothered to get a job and end up with various issues due to a lack of exercise and diet are just as bad IMO.

It (the NHS) is at least in part paid my National Insurance contributions more info on the rates Here and is deducted from gross pay, as is Income Tax.

Generally you get your NI card when you turn 16, and this probably equates to your social security number, its with you for life, and so every employer will deduct your NI automatically and they also contribute on your behalf. In order to get a full state pension you need to have paid into the NI system for something like 30 years, otherwise you only get partial state pension. I believe you can also get an NI card when becoming a British citizen.

NHS coveres pretty much all health care, and hospital fees along with dental.

Thats a start, im sure someone else will correct me if im wrong, and/or add to the explanation.


so does everyone in the country contribute to the cost? (ie pay taxes)
 
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so does everyone in the country contribute to the cost? (ie pay taxes)
I'm pretty sure the only people who have never paid taxes are under the age of five
Of course, some people pay net in, or get net back, same in any situation
I am one for Universal Health Care....just not really the way Obama is doing it, it will take a very long time to transition, it can't be rushed in to
Obama doesn't have a UHC plan does he?
He was talking about how close our countries were today in Dublin ... that's right, we both have shitty healthcare systems
 
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I just don't think that we have the money to pay for such a system in the US right now. We are spending more and more every day and the debt is continuing to pile up. I think that everyone(that is here legally) should be entitled to some form of healthcare, but this is a beast of a program that we just don't have the money for right now.

Not to mention that bureaucrats tend to take easy, cheap concepts and turn them into time consuming money pits...

Take Alaska for example. The government decided that they would build a new maximum security prison because the other one is at capacity and they wanted to be able to import prisoners from other states into Alaska. The building is nearing completion and now the government has decided that it might cost too much money to keep open. So, we might have a massive empty prison in Wasilla, AK. There are even rumors that they will have to hire security to keep people from breaking into the prison. Why in world would they have not done some research to figure out the upkeep of such a building. Our government has this spend fist mentality that is going to ruin us eventually.

Rant over... Sorry for getting off topic
 
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I'm pretty sure the only people who have never paid taxes are under the age of five
Of course, some people pay net in, or get net back, same in any situation
Obama doesn't have a UHC plan does he?
He was talking about how close our countries were today in Dublin ... that's right, we both have shitty healthcare systems


Obama wants a Universal Health Care, but his take on it is kind of different than how a Universal Health Care is run. Most Universal Health care systems which is adapted by pretty much every industrialized country besides the US is ran by the government entirely in which funding is through taxes like how we fund public schools, parks, roads, libraries, police, fire dpt, etc here in the states. I am not sure, but most of these countries with the Uni Health Care also have insurance companies labeled for private health. Here in the states, Obama's take on Universal Health Care isn't entirely ran by the government, but more of a negotiation with these rich insurance companies to provide health care to every single American citizen.

the only thing I am unsure about is surgery costs and stuff
 
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Obama wants a Universal Health Care, but his take on it is kind of different than how a Universal Health Care is run. Most Universal Health care systems which is adapted by pretty much every industrialized country besides the US is ran by the government entirely in which funding is through taxes like how we fund public schools, parks, roads, libraries, police, fire dpt, etc here in the states. I am not sure, but most of these countries with the Uni Health Care also have insurance companies labeled for private health. Here in the states, Obama's take on Universal Health Care isn't entirely ran by the government, but more of a negotiation with these rich insurance companies to provide health care to every single American citizen.

the only thing I am unsure about is surgery costs and stuff
in most countries, healthcare is not provided by the government UK style, but is regulated by it
Usually everyone is forced to get insurance, with the government subsidizing premiums and managing insurance companies
While IMO the socialist system is best, the system described is cheap to implement in the short term, and is obviously cheaper than what the the US has now in the long term
I think Ireland is the last very rich country without UHC apart from the US, however the conservative party are implemting it to reduce costs and to end the unfair two twirling system
 
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I just don't think that we have the money to pay for such a system in the US right now. We are spending more and more every day and the debt is continuing to pile up. I think that everyone(that is here legally) should be entitled to some form of healthcare, but this is a beast of a program that we just don't have the money for right now.
Shock fact: the US spends more per person on healthcare in the world, yet 30% of people or under/not insured, and life expectancy is lower in countries that spend HALF AS MUCH (PPP %GDP)

The US spends a rediculous amount on healthcare bureaucracy (25% of spending)
I'm not aware of countries that surpass that

In another thread I discussed (or rather shouted at a wall) this with another member. I gave up replying as he was most likely trolling me tho, you can read my posts there
 
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Shock fact: the US spends more per person on healthcare in the world, yet 30% of people or under/not insured, and life expectancy is lower in countries that spend HALF AS MUCH (PPP %GDP)

The US spends a rediculous amount on healthcare bureaucracy (25% of spending)
I'm not aware of countries that surpass that

In another thread I discussed (or rather shouted at a wall) this with another member. I gave up replying as he was most likely trolling me tho, you can read my posts there

Great point, another reason why the governments role in our lives should be limited, as the founders designed it to be.
 
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