Be careful of what you ask for....

allnurses Guide · Feb 25, 2010

Are you telling me that there are no hospitals in the US that cut corners and the detriment of patient care, the problems at Stafford were first reported a couple of years ago, and this is the final report from the investigations into care within that A and E at that time. It is extremely well publicised, this is because of the need to change practice.

There are some excellent hospitals, units and trusts within the UK that are providing an excellent standard of care for our patients, I don't see how you can take one example and then post a blanket statement that condemns the whole UK healthcare system. Yes it has it's faults but it also has centres of excellence as well, maybe presenting this news story as it is rather than as an excuse to bring another "Universal Healthcare is bad" debate, presenting a more balanced opinion would be a bit fairer

interleukin · Feb 25, 2010

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When you have no viable plan of your own, just demonize everything else in order to scare the public and maintain the status quo.

Your assertions about the slippery slope are just more of the same, right wing scare tactics. And the stretch you make that we'll be sorry were we to change the "fantastic" health care system we have now is just another empty opinion.

"This is a lesson my mother taught incessantly as I was raised."

My suggestion to you is that you put in the time to check out facts and stop believing everything your moma told you.

Soyrizo · Feb 25, 2010

The US has significant problems in our healthcare system and hospitals, I don't know if it's fair to point the fingers at other systems when we're not doing better ourselves.

HM2VikingRN, RN · Feb 25, 2010

The data shows that the UK NHS produces much better overall results than the US (non-system)

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: An International Update on the Comparative Performance of American Health Care

The Commonwealth Fund, May 2007

link embedded

If we truly wanted to build a better system we would model our system redesign on the VA medical system. (The american version of NHS.) It achieves the best outcomes at substantially lower cost.

allnurses Guide · Feb 25, 2010

We didn't so so well in patient centred care or access, that's not good is it

HM2VikingRN, RN · Feb 25, 2010

No but the NHS still outperforms the US which tends to refute the OP's point.....

allnurses Guide · Feb 25, 2010

HM2 I notice this is from data from 2007, is there anything more recent that you know of showing how the different systems are performing.

I find the fact that we didn't perform well on access quite interesting as I spent most of that year working on waiting list targets and trying trying to get patients treated in a timely fashion, from those figures it would appear that we failed

HM2VikingRN, RN · Feb 25, 2010

I don't think Commonwealth Fund has anything newer but I can check....

Not_A_Hat_Person, RN · Feb 26, 2010

So....Canada's politician unapologetically comes to the US for his heart surgery....

Danny Williams, the Premier (governor) of Newfoundland and Labrador, is independently wealthy. He chose to have heart surgery in Florida because he could afford it, and he was probably looking to join the millions of other Canadians who spend the winter there.

Newfoundland is a poor province, and people who need heart surgery are often sent to Montreal or Toronto. If a Canadian who wasn't independently wealthy needed the same surgery, they could get it in Canada.

As a Premier, Williams has a role in running Newfoundland's branch of Medicare, Canada's national health care. Needless to say, his decision to "opt out" was controversial.

tewdles, RN · Feb 26, 2010

You might actually get it. This is a lesson my mother taught incessantly as I was raised.
Today you hear a great deal of unjustified criticism of the US Healthcare system and progressives push for a NHS like UK or Canada. They believe that you will get better and cheaper care. That management's unceasing effort to earn the mightly dollar will cease and care will improve.
So....Canada's politician unapologetically comes to the US for his heart surgery....
And here is what we get to look forward to if we slide down this slope:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8531441.stm
The management still has "goals" to reach.
God help us all

Unjustified criticism? Have you actually investigated how we are doing as a nation in caring the for the sick and injured and dying? Is it ok for you that millions of Americans die for lack of or poor access to health care? Is it okay for you that our current system, which has the poorest outcomes in the modern world, also costs us 16% of our GDP and will likely be 20% within 5 years? Is it okay with you that while making billions in profits and paying billions in salaries and bonuses each year, large insurance companies seek to raise premiums by 20-30%+ while further limiting what they will pay for?

Geesh...an example of the propaganda machine hard at work.

I am sure that some of you can tell that I am getting increasingly frustrated and irritable about the posts which simply say no to reform without actually acknowledging that WE HAVE A SERIOUS PROBLEM with our payment and delivery system for basic and life saving health care. My apologies.

FLmomof5 · Feb 26, 2010

.
When you have no viable plan of your own, just demonize everything else in order to scare the public and maintain the status quo.
Your assertions about the slippery slope are just more of the same, right wing scare tactics. And the stretch you make that we'll be sorry were we to change the "fantastic" health care system we have now is just another empty opinion.
"This is a lesson my mother taught incessantly as I was raised."
My suggestion to you is that you put in the time to check out facts and stop believing everything your moma told you.

Momma was a nurse of 35 yrs and a Master's degree.