You know, US gyn health seems to be way
ahead of the UK. Here, only the wealthier
people can afford private health care and
can have their own gyno doctor - the rest
of us make do with Family Planning clinics
or the local GP and a referral to a Gyn
Dept only when something goes wrong. We
also don't have yearly paps - every 3
years is the usual. Niether do couples
routinely have blood tests before
marriage.
It would be interesting to compare
statistics re early diagnosis and cure
rates.
Anyone?
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Carifairy
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Joined: 12 Nov 2005 Posts: 2608 Location: Charlotte n.c.
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Posted: 01-23-08 19:23pm
Shonster- IF you have health insurance,
like me, we can go to the gyno anytime we
want.
I see my gyno for a PAP smear each year. I
also have a GP type doctor, he takes care
of other health needs.
I never need a referral, and can see
anyone I wish to.
That is only if you have health insurance
though...
We do have excellent EARLY diagnosis rates
for cervical cancer
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Galaxy
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Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 512 Location: U.K,
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Posted: 01-23-08 20:10pm
All workers in the UK pay National
Insurance (I pay around £300 per month)
and this goes into the National Health
Service.
We can also buy private health insurance
but we are obliged to pay into the
aforementioned NI scheme as well.
We cannot present ourselves to a
consultant without a referral from the GP
and generally we wait on average 9 months
(sometimes much longer) for an
appointment.
If we go to A&E (ER to you) we can
wait 6 hours in a queue for urgent medical
attention.
Our NHS is going to the dogs from lack of
funding and yet if you can get through the
system and meet a consultant face to face,
you will find a highly trained
professional second to none.
And at least no one is refused medical
care, not even the poorest in the land.
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Georgia59
Moderator
Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 5539 Location: Along the Mississippi, USA
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Posted: 01-24-08 09:07am
Well, I agree with Cairifairy. We do have
great medical care, but that's IF you have
good insurance, or if you have insurance
at all. I have pretty bad insurance right
now, so I need to get all my birth control
needs at a planned parenthood (reduced
price clinic) and I'm not getting any
yearly paps until I have better insurance.
My insurance right now cost me about $1500
for a semester (about 5 months) but
doesn't really cover much, so a trip to
the doc will still cost me hundreds (or
thousands) of dollars. When I've had
better insurance in the past, though, it
was a lot better- most things were covered
almost 100%.
Our ER's are terrible, really- waiting
forever just like you said and they are
very very expensive. However, if a person
with no money/insurance comes to an ER
with a serious condition, they are not
turned away. ER visits cost thousands of
dollars, but some programs help out poor
people to get emergency treatment.
Most people in the US can't see a
specialist without a referral because
otherwise insurance might not pay for it.
Also, insurance often only pays for
certain treatments or prescriptions. I
would say, however, that once you get a
referral (at least where I live) the wait
is not too long, maybe a month or two, I
guess depending on what you need.
But who knows what will happen, current
candidates are advocating a socialized
health care system. I hope it happens! I
don't know if it will.
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Carifairy
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Joined: 12 Nov 2005 Posts: 2608 Location: Charlotte n.c.
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Posted: 01-24-08 11:12am
Shonster- I have "Blue cross and blue
shield of NC". That is a good company that
provides health insurance.
I pay 210$ a month, and I have health
problems.
I can see my gyn the same day if I call,
and it is urgent. Otherwise for an exam I
wait about 6 days to get an appointment.
WOW, I cannot imagine waiting 9 months..
For 300 Euros a month?!! That is a LOT
more than I pay.
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Galaxy
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Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 512 Location: U.K,
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Posted: 01-24-08 12:28pm
Not 300 euros - £300! That's 588$! But
it is not an insurance as such, although
they call it that - it is a general pool
into which every worker pays to bolster up
our marvellous Welfare State that is
crumbling about us. It is graduated
according to salary, much like the tax
system. It ensures that no one goes
without medical care but it does have its
drawbacks. The government are throwing
money at it to cut waiting lists and free
up hospital beds but it means that people
are being sent home from hospital far too
early and there have been some tragic
highly-publicised cases where things have
gone wrong.
Of course, many people do take out private
insurance on top of this - BUPA is the
most popular but some workplaces invite
you to contribute towards their private
health insurance. If you do this, you are
paying twice for your medical care and
some people would argue that there is no
great benefit as you will see the same
surgeons etc - the only benefit is that
you will jump the queue.
We seem to have hijacked the OP's page -
apologies! But it came out of my
observation that everyone seems to have
their own gyn in the US and here, you are
lucky if you can get a good dentist that
won't charge you a fortune for just having
a look!
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Carifairy
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Joined: 12 Nov 2005 Posts: 2608 Location: Charlotte n.c.
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Posted: 01-24-08 12:41pm
WHAT?!
If you want a consultation here..Many
dentists in my city will do a 'first look'
free!
If you need anything done they will give
you an estimate..
X-rays are extra money..
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Georgia59
Moderator
Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 5539 Location: Along the Mississippi, USA
Thanks: 87
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Posted: 01-24-08 14:27pm
I don't have my 'own' gyno, the only one I
see right now is whoever is working at the
nearest planned parenthood! I can't afford
to see a regular gyno because my insurance
doesn't cover it. My last trip to the gyno
(a regular one) cost me over $200 just for
a consult regarding birth control and a
prescription (not even an exam, just
talking) and then of course $50 each month
after that to get the prescription filled,
and that's just birth control, it's not as
expensive as lots of other drugs.
and... if you have dental coverage, then
dentists are great!! I am currently not
going to the dentist because I don't have
dental coverage at all, but I also have no
dental problems (no cavities or anything)
so it's not really a priority. And true,
they will look for free, but they won't do
even preventative care without charging an
arm and a leg.
Our health care really is great..... if
you have good insurance. I'm in the
situation where I don't, so I am really
just avoiding going to the doctor at all
costs. I am pretty much only covered if
I'm in a terrible accident or something-
and even then it will cost me more than I
can afford.
But I used to have great insurance, with
almost everything covered. It really just
depends. Right now the only insurance I
have is through my university and doesn't
cover much, and no dental or vision
coverage.
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Galaxy
Supporter
Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 512 Location: U.K,
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Posted: 01-24-08 15:54pm
Hmm, then perhaps the UK are not getting a
bad deal after all. Here. all Family
Planning advice and contraception is free.
You can buy condoms at the supermarket if
you want variety etc but basically, any
clinic will give you them, and the Pill,
the Patch, the Coil and all the other
paraphenalia free.
Prescriptions are a flat rate £6.79 or
something per item but you can pre-pay if
you know you are going to have a few items
every month, and save a lot of money that
way. I pre-pay three months in advance,
and this costs me £34 but as I have 8
prescrption items a month (ie 24 over 3
months) this saves me about £100. There
is now a move afoot to abolish
prescription charges altogether - they
already have that in Wales. Of course, if
you are on a low income (ie less than
about £150 per week) you have free
prescriptions anyway. All eye tests are
free and you can opt for cheap,
NHS-subsidised specs but few people do.
Again, low income families get help
towards the cost.
No, I like the UK NHS and the only gripe I
have is the waiting time for hospital
appointments. Oh, and the lack of proper
cleaning on many of the wards!
We should probably have moved this on to a
new page, you know!
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soonhitched
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Jan 2008 Posts: 17
Posted: 01-24-08 16:21pm
Well, this is my thread so I'm just gonna
jump in on this. The whole socialized
medical coverage issue seems to be the
biggest band-aid solution that seems great
when you hear it but in reality - not so
much.
The root of the problem is that insurance
is extremely expensive, and probably the
root of THAT issue is the outrageous
medical malpractice lawsuits that make
healthcare in general so expensive. So if
we take on the insurance companies, crack
down on frivelous lawsuits and accept some
responsibility for ourselves we will have
a healthcare industry that blows any out
of the water.
Just my .02
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Galaxy
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Joined: 15 Mar 2006 Posts: 512 Location: U.K,
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Posted: 01-24-08 16:26pm
Can't say fairer than that, soonhitched!
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Georgia59
Moderator
Joined: 11 Apr 2007 Posts: 5539 Location: Along the Mississippi, USA
Thanks: 87
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Posted: 01-24-08 23:21pm
I agree, there's a lot at play here.
Prescription drug companies certainly
aren't the least of the problems.
Sorry we hijacked your thread- maybe I'll
get someone to split it to general debate
