Healthcare UK Style?

I am an American and we all know how awful the health care situation is in America. I am not thinking about moving to the UK (at least not yet :) but I recently was talking with a friend about healthcare in other countries and I became curious.





Tell me about healthcare in the Uk. Are dental services free as well as medical services (I know you pay for them via taxes and no I am not trying to be sarcastic or mean).





Let's say someone is born in the UK but has lived in the US for a couple of years. She goes back to the UK to visit family and falls ill there. Is she still entitled to hospital/doctor's care for free or not?





I have heard horror stories about people dying on the waiting list for surgery. What if it is an emergency?





Anyway, thanks for your time. I will award 10 points for a best answer. And sarcastic jerk answers will of course be reported. Cheers!

Healthcare UK Style?
I work in the NHS (National Health Service) and think that it is brilliant. Most who work in the NHS do not understand why the US has the insane system of healthcare (or rather lack of it) that it has.





Yes, you pay less in taxation, but because of insurance and medical costs themselves (including prescription costs), we pay less overall.





But the system is not perfect. People can have problems getting access to a GP (you would call a GP a family physician), and yes, there are waiting lists. The waits are not as long as they used to be before the current political party took over though.





Also, like in the USA, you can go private. There are private GP's and hospitals. You still have to pay tax and national insurance, which means that you are always entitled to NHS healthcare.





Our prescription charges are maximum about $4.00 per item, and normally, this will be for a months supply of medication. Diabetics and certain other specified medical conditions get all drugs free. In Wales, you do not even pay the $4.00 and Scotland are to follow suit.





As for emergency care, you get it. Yes there is a wait for routine conditions, but for example if you have crescendo angina, you will get seen very quickly, if not on the same day. If you have an acute condition that needs same day treatment, you get it.





As I said, it is not perfect, but it is better than what the USA has. Look at the figures in the link below for our infant mortality rates and life expectancy which are better than that of the USA. In fact, almost every western country has better figures than the USA, many have better figures than us.





Health care provision is dependent on several things. There is another link below. We do not provide healthcare free of charge for all people from abroad.





And you have to pay for dental care. NHS dental care is subsidised and the treatment options are not as varied as private dentistry, but if you want good dental care in the UK, join denplan.
Reply:I lived there for 5 years and thought the health care was really substandard. The wait to get an appointment was bad enough (several weeks) but once you get there you still have to wait for hours in a grungy crowded waiting room. I usually saw a doctor for 5 minutes after this wait (talking to him at his desk) and was sent on my way with a prescription. I had my first child there in London and my other here. There was a huge difference. I'm glad my son and I were never seriously ill when we were there, I just wouldn't trust the underpaid medical staff to take care of us in the overcrowded and under-financed hospitals. Hypothetically, I think that anyone living there would be taken care of medically if they were ill, but the quality of care is scary. I think the dental is provided too - but not sure. Taxes are so much higher there, we're better off paying for health care as we need it.
Reply:you don`t have to wait weeks to see a GP if its not an emergency you might wait a coule of days if you have somthing seriously wrong they see you the same day or you can call a doctor out to you home or go to A%26amp;E if your taken to hospital for an emergency of course they don`t put you on a waiting list ,how can they .


things can go wrong and sometimes people die .but that can happen with private care aswell


people who have money can get health insurance and go private if they want ,but at least every one is covered even visitors to the country if they fell ill while they where here .


it can`t be that bad theres no one going about shouting (Briing out your dead) these days as far as i know


and we have no higher death rate or shorter life expectancy than America