An interesting article from The Daily Mail

RGN1 · Nov 2, 2007

Well he's talking about one hospital - I don't think there's that many of those in the USA - judging from what I've read on allnurses!

Of course - I'd be delighted if there's one of those type of hospitals in every USA town - but I suggest that if there was there wouldn't be any cases like the family crippled by medical bills because their child was born with a congenital heart condition that the insurance company wouldn't cover because it was deemed to be a "pre-existing condition." I did not make that up - I promise!

elkpark · Nov 2, 2007

Good to know there are right-wing crackpots in the UK, too -- it's not just the US which is afflicted with them ...

I'm suspicious of the "too good to be true" figures he quotes about the hospital his mother was at, and I'm sure they've had their share (as has every hospital in the US of MRSA and c. diff infections. And I doubt v. much that the woman he mentions would be in a US prison for "corporate manslaughter."

I've worked for several not-for-profit (church-affiliated, even) hospitals that routinely took people to court to garnish wages, seize their houses, etc., to pay for medical bills that the people couldn't afford to pay. The idea that "everyone gets treatment, regardless of their ability to pay" is a beloved mantra of the Right, but it's not quite true ...

UKPedsRN · Nov 8, 2007

having worked in the US for 13 years, I can say that what the reporter is saying is not untrue.

There are groups in this country who would like the UK public to beleive we could not survive if we had no NHS. They prey on the public's fear that if they were sick and had no health care insurance, then they would be left to die. Or like the previous post said, if they had a child with a heart defect then they would be left with huge bills - this just is not the case. The US has a system very similar to our NHS, and any one who has a chronic illness, especially children born with defects, are covered, by State and Fedreal healthcare.

Having been a patient recently in a UK, I can tell you that most nurses in this country are simply babysitting patients, and fail to implement basic hygeine principles. This lack of regard for hygeine has led to the spread of MRSA and the like.

As a nurse manager in the US, one of my units had 1 case of MRSA, which was due to resistance, not hygeine. I can tell you it never spread - why? Because I taught and monitored my staff re: hand hygeine. It is time we nurses held ourselves and our colleagues accountable.

RGN1 · Nov 8, 2007

having worked in the US for 13 years, I can say that what the reporter is saying is not untrue.
There are groups in this country who would like the UK public to beleive we could not survive if we had no NHS. They prey on the public's fear that if they were sick and had no health care insurance, then they would be left to die. Or like the previous post said, if they had a child with a heart defect then they would be left with huge bills - this just is not the case. The US has a system very similar to our NHS, and any one who has a chronic illness, especially children born with defects, are covered, by State and Fedreal healthcare.
Having been a patient recently in a UK, I can tell you that most nurses in this country are simply babysitting patients, and fail to implement basic hygeine principles. This lack of regard for hygeine has led to the spread of MRSA and the like.
As a nurse manager in the US, one of my units had 1 case of MRSA, which was due to resistance, not hygeine. I can tell you it never spread - why? Because I taught and monitored my staff re: hand hygeine. It is time we nurses held ourselves and our colleagues accountable.

The family with the child appeared on TV - are you saying that they were not telling the truth about their medical bills then?

There are other people who tell of insurance companies not funding their cancer drugs - even though they have religiously paid their premiums - here on allnurses. Are they all fabricating what they have said too?

As a UK nurse I'm not "babysitting" my patients & I do pay strict attention to hygiene. We havent' had ONE case of MRSA or C-DIFF acquired in my hospital. We have had patients who we have admitted from elsewhere (whom we screen & barrier nurse until cleared) who have come in with those infections but we've NEVER spread them to our other patients, thanks to the strict barrier rules. However, that doesn't mean that I don't believe it happens elsewhere.

cariad · Nov 9, 2007

the only people who get free healthcare over here, are people with no money and no house. we had no money and lots of medical bills,,,still have, but we had no help, you can apply for food and milk tokens, but only if you dont have a house for them to get the money back from you, if you have a bank account with any money then they come after you. theres hospitals here with valet parking, but that doesnt make them any better, how much do you think that they are paying these guys to park the car. peanuts, would be a good answer, as they rely on the person whose car they park to tip them.

every er has to see and treat everyone who comes over their doors, but as soon as you do, theres a clerk getting you or your relative to sign and say that you are resposible for the bill if the insurance doesnt pay.

as for infection, uk nurses wouldnt believe how many iv antibiotics are given, vanco is given out like candy, because there are so many infections, including mrsa and vrsa. stuff that is occasional in the uk is routine over here.

Belinda-wales, RN · Nov 10, 2007

I do not know why people compair to two systems they are completly different- I think there are pros and cons for both- bad and good things happen both sides of the Pond!

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Nov 10, 2007

I do not know why people compair to two systems they are completly different- I think there are pros and cons for both- bad and good things happen both sides of the Pond!

:yeahthat:

Somewhere between the nonsense that every British patient is lying in his own filth and that poor Americans are dying like flies lies the truth.

My husband has hereditary CVD and HTN. We have lousy coverage through his employer. But lousy means that we have to drive a looooong way to find a provider - we're in a rural area. But we do have coverage.

However. Were I not married I would be in trouble. I was fired and can't afford to pick up the coverage at full cost, but we have a house and my assets would be attached were I to be hospitalized and unemployed. And even unemployment means I earn too much for Medicaid, the coverage for indigent folks under 65.

The hospital spoken of in this article is not the usual, unfortunately.

Fiona59 · Nov 18, 2007

MRSA and Cdiff have been around for quite a while. I honestly believe the media is stirring up more than a fair share of the hysteria about this disease. Back in 2000, we were informed about it and how to protect ourselves, our patients and our families from it.

MRSA is now out in the community and patients are coming INTO hospital carrying it. So that athletic young person in the next bed could very well be carrying it. He/she won't know until we swab him and the lab results come back.

The elderly who wind up in hospital are usually sick and/or frail (why else would they be in hospital?) and it is the weak of any age group that these infections hit the hardest. It doesn't help when their families refuse to wear protective measures and visit.

And for what it's worth, every case of hospital acquired MRSA that has hit my unit has been acquired in our ICU. My unit would be seen as mixed sex, we have privates and semiprivates, but only one sex per shared room. So, yes, you will see men on the surgical floor along with women. The only place that is entirely female is the maternity and gynie units. Oh and we have fun with middle eastern men who want their women segregated from the men on the floor and don't want the male staff providing care to anyone in the same room as their woman.

ohmeowzer RN, RN · Nov 25, 2007

oh yes i have read this article before. we have only private rooms at my hospital. these days you can get MRSA( community acquired ) and C diff anywhere. i heard there was an out break of c diff in the UK . we use universal precations on everyone. i live and work in las vegas NV so at my hospital we take care of people from all over the world. they com here an find they are sick and end up in the hospital. it's very interesting to meet the people from all over the world and talk to them about their country's health care. i had a patient from england last month. he came off the plane and started to have chest pain , ended up having a CABG and ended up going home with a CABG from his trip to vegas. no tee shirt .. just a cabg..lol.. he said he loved out hospital and loved the private rooms and room service we offer to our patients. it sure was nice to meet him. i've had a pt in the past come from ireland c/o a headache thought it was from the long plane trip and ended up in isolation for meningitis. thank hevane she lived and is now back home. then i had a man from germany about a week go and i spoke with his dr in germany about his care and discharge.. it was great .. the insurance arranged for a nurse to travel with him .. i would of went.lol. he was very nice... so was the doctor .. i am not sure which country has the best insurance .. i think we all do our best with the insurance we have.. i like my insurance and my PCP and my care is as good as i can hope. i love your posts .. very interesting.