Health Care Reform Support Group

And I don't know why one link worked but the other one didn't - this seems to happen a lot with BBC news stories for some reason!

Wow I am more frustrated and confused than ever. All I know is because of health issues I am having, with no coverage (either by private or public means), I am having to put off paying household bills and buying food so that I can pay for doctors and medication. I don't know what the solution is for sure, but I do know that we should not have to sacrifice our health for our electricity and nutrition, and visa versa.

Well, everything I've been reading makes me grateful that I do live in the UK.
The NHS might be far from perfect, but at least no-one has to worry about juggling food and bills just to get basic medical care.

Hey Phoenix, want a roommate? :)

I am so glad I am in the U.K. as well....OK, may have to wait a while sometimes but the treatment is often so excellent, though of course there are problems as well. Only yesterday I was five hours in a brand new eye hospital, which is combined with a childrens hospital, it is so beautiful as well as excellent. I have had care there over 25 years for my eyesight and this must have cost thousands. There can be chaos!...I had to have a fairly urgent op. after waiting for ages for a space, so they had to 'do' four of us very quickly. We were put into a ward that was sooo full, with emergencies coming in all the time. We backed onto a night club in the central city & I couldnt for the life of me think how MRSA could be controlled under such conditions. Thank God I was only in for one night. But they did a good job nevertheless, even if I was thrown out rather early!.....so that wasnt so good, but the eye thing is excellent. We cannot ever have everything, can we. But the stories I hear from the US makes my blood run cold. So lucky here, despite some blips!....Cathrynn x

Eh, Sapphire, if you can ever get over here I'd love to meet you.

I just hope these proposed reforms really do end up helping the people who most need it!

And here's another blog worth reading for a good UK perspective on the NHS.
I love The Witch Doctor - quite sarcastic sometimes, and she can also be a little obscure at other moments, but I've become an avid follower.

http://witchdoctor.wordpress.com/

I wish I could afford to move to another country which has UHC, to be honest. I think the savings in health care costs would be worth it in the long run ...
Anyway, I just read the Witch Doctor article. Fascinating stuff. Obviously having the NHS is not the end-all solution but it still seems a step in the right direction. Every system needs tweaking - but I believe in the USA it needs major overhauls.

The NHS just needs to get back to its origins, being led by doctors again rather than bureaucrats.
Oh yeah, that and doing something about the soaring drug costs - we need international pressure to bring the drug companies under control!

I am an American who was enrolled in the healthcare systems in both Canada and the United Kingdom. The reason was no access to US military healthcare, so all Americans stationed at specific locations were enrolled in the NHS. Because I had the opportunity to experience the systems, I am not afraid of any similarities our proposed healthcare reform has to either country. If you have not experienced the system, I say it is difficult to espouse an opinion based on ignorance. I am not saying people do not have valid points, I am saying that people are making comparisons of systems they do not understand.