Quote:
Originally Posted by Adak
Australia has a two-tier system. Everyone has a basic NHS service account, but if you want very good health care, you better have your private insurance account, as well. It can get pretty ugly pretty fast, otherwise, for the important stuff.The medical care is OK, but the waiting periods are dreadfully long.
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Seems to be a little known fact that the UK has plenty of private health insurance. BUPA was the one you would hear about when i was a kid, so I looked them up, founded in 1947, based off an Australian organistaion founded in the '30's. If you have insurance you may well be seen in the same hospital and seen by the same doctors, but ,maybe nicer rooms, better food, shorter wait times etc.
You can be drop in and out of the private stream too, I have a friend whose mother was in pain, so he went private to see a specialist ina couple of days, instead of a couple of weeks or months, and the she was transferred back to the NHS system for treatment.
I also know of someone in the US with severe back pain that was required to take strong anti pain meds, the type for short term relief, that you should only take for a couple of days, for 2 months before her insuramnce would pay for an MRI. (a nurse BTW)
Having had some experience of both systems, the qualiy of the doctorin' is the same in both, beurocracy is equally obscure .
Wait times are longer in the UK for a simple surgery, and the hospitals aren't as new and shiny, but then nobody goes broke or goes without.