50 days to see a doctor in Boston…Is universal coverage the cause?

[Sbane]

No.

As you know I'm a UK resident. I felt unwell last night so I wanted to see a doctor and I did at 11am the next morning after booking an appointment at 8.30 am. Cost me nothing, bar a $6.50 flat fee for a prescription afterwards.

So many people knock such a system without knowing the slightest thing about it.

Anecdotal evidence is awesome!

Just try not to get cancer in Scotland.

At least he would get treated in Scotland. Here he would have to fight tooth and nail with his insurance company to get any treatment at all. Even then if he wanted the latest treatment he would have to pay tens of thousands out of his own pocket. America's health care system is the best in the world for the elite (and by elite I mean someone making millions) but not so great for the rest of us. I would much prefer a system like Europe where I won't have to spend my dying days haggling with my insurance company.

[Sbane]

The raw ideology on this board is mind boggling.

The facts are that wait times are not just a little longer but significantly longer in Britain than in the US and survival rates for cancer patients are much lower.  That anyone would deny this at this stage suggests a total immunity to evidence.

Cite?

[Sbane]

you will still die from it and then your family gets to pay the tens of thousands of dollars in medical debt.  Hope they have a house or something to sell to pay that off!

Nonsense of course. I have a LOT of experience with that situation and I call BS.

The leading cause of bankruptcy in America is due to health costs. And most of those people had insurance coverage.

[Sbane]

Where does this canard come from that those who have no nsurance have no access to care?

Actually that is one of the problems with our system. Of course they have access to healthcare. If you call 911 when you have a heart attack and they take you to the ER, you will get treated regardless of whether you have insurance or not. But what happens in the aftermath? Who pays those costs? Especially considering that the uninsured tend to be the poorest Americans. They end up going bankrupt or the costs never get paid. In effect the rest of us pay for it. Wouldn't it be better if we gave them access to a doctor and drugs before they get a heart attack in their 50's? Don't you think that would be better for society in other ways as well, such as greater productivity? I realize things get much more complicated when surgeries are needed or diseases like cancer or diabetes need to be treated, but can we at least agree that everyone deserves access to a doctor at a low cost?