RE: Time for European style socialized medine
September 16, 2012 at 12:50 am
(This post was last modified: September 16, 2012 at 12:54 am by Puddleglum.)
Roughly 8.6% of my gross income is taken as national insurance, which covers services like the NHS. That is on top of the 20% tax rate I already pay. If there should be such a service, it should be completely optional. I want the right to either pay the government for my healthcare, or choose to go with a private insurer if I am not satisfied with the NHS.
That's not true. National Insurance is just another tax. It just goes straight into the treasury and has nothing to do with the NHS. I spent 15 years working in the UK,half of that as an employer so I know all about NI thanks
There is a specifically US problem that would need to be addressed, in the Uk they bulk buy their supplies getting the best possible prices. lets say the NHS thinks it needs 1 Billion Aspirin tablets next year. They order one Billion tablets from a company that will make absolutely no profit on them whatsoever, indeed they may supply them at a loss, the reason compabies do it is that they can then install the necessary plant to manufacture such items incredibly cheaply and they make higher profits on direct sale.
However In the US there would be so much pork barrelling and 1000 dollar syringes bought from a company in Wyoming because the senior senator has sold his vote (again) that the costs would spiral out of control so an entirely separate method of procurement would have to be installed. Added to that we should have training colleges attached to Hospitals (as the UK has) where Nurses and Doctors train for free and in return guarantee to work x number of years in the state system.
All in all it works out , if done properly, vastly cheaper for everyone because everything is bulk sourced.
Completely irrelevant, but are you sure about the armed forces? No other country in the world leaves off the name of the country?
Yup
UK has The Royal Navy, The Royal Marines, The Royal Airforce, Royal Artillery, Royal tank regiment etc Everyone else has their name in them
The US marine corps, the Royal Australian Air force etc.
That's not true. National Insurance is just another tax. It just goes straight into the treasury and has nothing to do with the NHS. I spent 15 years working in the UK,half of that as an employer so I know all about NI thanks
There is a specifically US problem that would need to be addressed, in the Uk they bulk buy their supplies getting the best possible prices. lets say the NHS thinks it needs 1 Billion Aspirin tablets next year. They order one Billion tablets from a company that will make absolutely no profit on them whatsoever, indeed they may supply them at a loss, the reason compabies do it is that they can then install the necessary plant to manufacture such items incredibly cheaply and they make higher profits on direct sale.
However In the US there would be so much pork barrelling and 1000 dollar syringes bought from a company in Wyoming because the senior senator has sold his vote (again) that the costs would spiral out of control so an entirely separate method of procurement would have to be installed. Added to that we should have training colleges attached to Hospitals (as the UK has) where Nurses and Doctors train for free and in return guarantee to work x number of years in the state system.
All in all it works out , if done properly, vastly cheaper for everyone because everything is bulk sourced.
Completely irrelevant, but are you sure about the armed forces? No other country in the world leaves off the name of the country?
Yup
UK has The Royal Navy, The Royal Marines, The Royal Airforce, Royal Artillery, Royal tank regiment etc Everyone else has their name in them
The US marine corps, the Royal Australian Air force etc.
