Honest American Reaction to the NHS, UK Annual Leave, UK Maternity Pay, and MORE!

I sit down with my best friend Emily and get her reaction as an American to UK healthcare, UK maternity pay, UK income tax, holidays, and more!

// WHO AM I
Hi! I’m Kalyn, an American expat in the UK, and I’m super glad you’re here (yes, I’ve lived in the UK for almost 10 years and the word “super” is still very much part of my vocabulary!) Whether you’re thinking about moving to the UK or just visiting, I have plenty of information and other resources for you below, so make sure to find your section and let me help you make the most of your trip or your move to the always-sunny, beautiful, and historic UK (okay, two of those things are true, but if you squint really hard at the lights when the London Underground is coming into station, you can kind of pretend it’s the sun?)

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[kristiangustafson]

I am by no means one of these "NHS IS THE BEST THING ALL HAIL THE NHS" types: the system has flaws, some pretty big ones. But honestly...how can a modern state *not* have a public health system?

[londonmeantime]

As a Brit, I’ve experienced US healthcare and used the NHS a lot. The NHS isn’t perfect, but I’ll take it everyday and twice on Sunday😁

[bisonkambaine]

I've lived both in America as a young boy and an adult in the UK. The NHS is amazing. I am happy to pay into it. I've probably taken very little from it in comparison to what I've paid into it, but I am forever grateful for it's services. I remember breaking my leg playing soccer when I was 21 and the ambulance taking me to the hospital and getting an operation in three days. I then saw a physician for three months and also was given a physiotherapist to ensure I retain my movement in my leg after it healed. All this for simply paying 20 per cent of your wages. I couldn't believe it. It's a wonderful country. My parents had to work two jobs in America to ensure we can afford health care, mortgage and everything else despite both being trained accountants. In the UK, they never have to work two jobs. Both their salaries are enough to afford a mortgage, health care, travel and endless vacations since we get 28 plus days for paid vacations.

[Cashback]

My Dad used to have a saying for anyone in the UK who would overly criticise the NHS for mostly stupid insignificant reasons. "Well if you don't like it then BUGGER OFF to America and pay for your Own Health Insurance!"

I think the video makers to pay testament to his statement if we are comparing things.

[alans]

I've had to tell a few Americans that restaurant meals are so expensive here in Australia because we pay staff a decent wage and don't make them beg for tips.

[neilsontc]

It's important to note that it isn't 20% of your entire wage, just for the proportion above the tax threshold

[Luna...]

Our Canadian healthcare system isn't perfect, but I'm PROUD & grateful for it! 🇨🇦 `~Thank you *Tommy Douglas*
My husband had a heart procedure, MRI's, xrays, 2 specialists + other doctors, 5 days in hospital. Our cost: parking at the hospital. THAT'S ALL.

[fionagregory]

Yard means a place which is concrete or brick outside. A garden has plants and greenery in it.

[colinmelling]

The benefits that British people get haven’t easily been handed over . They have had to fight incredibly hard over many decades to get them.

[Bookofwords]

I have to point out here that asking a brit to name American states will probably result in them naming a very large majority of them... If not all of them. The education system is different and we grow up watching American movies, we tend to know geography on a considerably higher level than Americans.

[Driver]

Many times when I was younger I very excitedly thought “… I’d love to live in the US…”!!
Now, having visited and travelled through different parts of the US many times, I just laugh at the thought of that 😂😂. While it’s a very advanced country in some ways and absolutely love going there, the US is just so backward in so many ways…
And I’ve never gotten used to household front and back gardens being called “yards”. Everywhere else in the world a yard is a place with a concrete or paved surface where some kind of out door work or industrial activity takes place. A garden is where I grow flowers, shrubs, grass, have a barbecue, bounce a ball with my children, play with the dog, hang out or just do normal family stuff….. I don’t have a front and a back yard. I have front and back gardens.

[chapsnaps]

You can rent an allotment from the local council. They are highly sought after and people tend to keep them for a long time. They are used for growing vegetables and flowers, and as somewhere to get good exercise and chill. Many people have sheds on them, where they can sit and listen to music and drink tea!
If you don't look after it, the allotment can be taken back by the council, and can be given to someone else.

[talktidy]

No kidding, but as a Brit everyday I am thankful for the existence of Nye Bevan.

The fact that Americans can be reduced to bankruptcy for the sake of pursuing healthcare makes shivers run down my spine.

[WasabiDreams]

I'm so lucky to have been born in the UK. When I hear what American government do to their citizens...the grass is never greener on the other side

[brickan]

I'm not from the UK but have similar single payer. I remember watching the show E.R when I was like 10 in mid 90's. There was an episode where a parent couldn't pay / insurance didn't sign off. I couldnt comprehend and was absolutely heartbroken and started crying. Paying to save someones life was utterly alien to me in a hospital environment. I asked my mom. She just said, "it's TV". I don't think she even understood all the intricacies. This memory has stayed with me tho. Single payer has huge problems with queues but knowing a single mom with 2 kids don't have to go bankcrupt due to a cancer diagnosis weighs all of that up, and makes me want to pay for it. Sometime its you, sometime its me, we all help each other in times of need whatever we need as healthcare. You get 3 kids, I pay for the doctors and even parental leave, your kids pay for me when I'm old and fragile.

[paulnewman]

I recently had a conversation with an American woman who had twisted her knee playing soccer. She was very thankful that although the operation was very expensive, she had good insurance, and she personally would 'only' have to pay the first $10, 000.

[jimmurdoch]

I'm now 64 years old... very little scares me. However, I have a 26 year old daughter, married to a Californian and living in L.A. Knowing that a simple (?) broken leg in the US Healthcare system can cost $25, 000 sends a cold shiver down my
Seriously America, ... you need a single payer system.

[EessaTube]

The US is still living in the 19th Century in terms of workers' rights, health care and this insane unwillingness to accept the much-easier-to-use, decimal system.

[patrickfox-roberts]

I like the statistic ' Number of bankruptcies in the US due to illness last year vs Number of bankruptcies in the UK due to illness last year 530, 000 : 0 ' Works for me.

[tmodify]

Thanks for this video,
It's a two-way street though because I was quite amazed at the comparison from a UK point of view.
A brilliant piece of work.