Honest, unbiased review of British healthcare system

[opebo]

You want a health care system that's in terrible shape?

Try the American health care system.

My experience with the U.S. system is all good. It's far more efficient than the socialist ones tend to be. Is it always affordable - no, but the socialist ones seem to keep costing more to maintain, so the money just ends up coming from taxes.

My problem with US health care is there seems to be a terrible undersupply of it.  I only rarely get ill, and even more rarely ill enough to bother with a doctor, but on the few occasions I have, I have found that one gets well before one can get in to see the doctor in the US.  It is astonishing how far ahead most doctors are booked - weeks in advance!

Here in Thailand, if I have any whim to see the doctor I just go right in - maybe a 10-20 minute wait, no appointments, and even if I go to Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok (the fancy 'medical tourism' one staffed with Ivy League educated doctors) it only costs about $20.  The only appointments are for actual major procedures.

Btw, if you want a $1,000 facelift, boob job, or child-birth (with a full 4-5 days in a private room), come on over to Thailand.  Bumrungrad is quite impressive.  Even the most backward rural Thai hospital is quite servicable, though I wouldn't go there for a cosmetic surgery!

[opebo]

You want a health care system that's in terrible shape?

Try the American health care system.

My experience with the U.S. system is all good. It's far more efficient than the socialist ones tend to be. Is it always affordable - no, but the socialist ones seem to keep costing more to maintain, so the money just ends up coming from taxes.

My problem with US health care is there seems to be a terrible undersupply of it.  I only rarely get ill, and even more rarely ill enough to bother with a doctor, but on the few occasions I have, I have found that one gets well before one can get in to see the doctor in the US.  It is astonishing how far ahead most doctors are booked - weeks in advance!

Where do you encounter this problem? I can usually get a doctor appointment within a couple of days, or even the same day if I tell them its urgent. Also there is always the emergency room if the situation is truly dire.

Does Thailand have socialized healthcare? How much of the low price is due to the low cost of living there?

I suppose I may encounter this problem because I'm usually a 'new patient', and don't have a regular doctor.  Going to the emergency room takes hours!  Usually the place is packed with poor people.

Thailand does provide socialized healthcare, I believe, but only for Thai citizens.  The prices I quoted were from the private hospitals, which are patronized by rich and upper middle class thais, as well as foreigners.  I believe they're unsubsidized and their low price reflects the cost of living.

I've heard that at the government hospitals Thai nationals pay some token amount - like $5 for having a baby.  I'm not certain but I believe the ratio of doctors and nurses to patients is somewhat less in these.  However when I visited the friend of mine who had the baby, it looked perfectly fine.  I suppose they would treat a foreigner in an emergency, but otherwise you would be sent to the unsubsidised private hospital.

[opebo]

How about this review of British healthcare: have you seen their teeth?

Have you seen the teeth of most people in the good ol' U.S. of A.? I don't know anyone who's 30 and still has all their teeth.

Guess you don't get out of the trailer park much.

That's precisely the point - the working poor in the US cannot afford medical care, much less dental care.  And yes, a great many of them live in trailer parks.