The Drive for Healthcare: Establishing the UK's National Health Service

Just a mild-mannered profile of the NHS foundation. Definitely no potential controversies here.

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[UkDave]

The NHS has directly saved my life twice. It is an inefficient and often frustrating service, but when brown stiff hits the fan, they are there front and centre. Thank you NHS for treating my childhood asthma, setting 2 broken limbs, treating a range of minor ailments, for air lifting me to an intensive care trauma centre and directly saving my life (life save 1) with several weeks of in patient hospital care and years of follow ups, for removing a tumerous gland during the covid pandemic (life save number 2) and most recently a late night emergency admission due to an incredibly painful kidney stone.
All this in a single relatively healthy 50 year life span. Science bless the NHS and all the fantastic army of people who work there 👏👏👏👏

[joetaylor]

Thank you Simon. As a UK paramedic working for the NHS, I am immensely proud of the system we have. It has its failings, but if you are seriously ill, you will be prioritised on your medical severity, and treated at a high standard whether you are rich or pennyless.

[davidbarnett]

I'm a brit living in canada . National health care is one thing I'd be willing to fight for

[jurx]

I have some experience with NHS. Two years ago, a cup broke in my hand, and sliced it open. Local A&E in Dover referred me to East Grinstead hospital where they specialize on such things. I needed some nerve repair to be done.
All I paid was £8.50 for antibiotics, and just under £100 for petrol+parking getting there.
I've done physiotherapy more locally, so I didn't use as much fuel, but still needed to pay for parking.

In the US, I would probably wouldn't have to pay for parking, and petrol is cheaper, but I would have a massive debt because insurance I would be able to afford wouldn't cover all the treatment I needed.

[fXBorgmeister]

I think the fact that it continues to work despite the barrage of "crises" that hit it demonstrates it's inherent resilience and that resilience is a function of societal will to make it so. It will only die if willed to die. And it won't be.

[NonoNonaa]

There's a lot of naïve fools here that think anyone needs to be convinced of the benefits of nationalized healthcare. Everybody knows it's superior. The politicians know it's better. Most citizens want it. It's not about you, it's about making hospital and pharmaceutical execs richer. That will never change, and there's nothing anyone can or wants to do about. The united states is a country made by greedy rich people, for greedy rich people - and is working exactly as intended. The intention is to make sure that the average citizen is as poor as possible while still allowing them to sell their labor for far less than the value it creates, so that those that actually have a say in how things go may continue to accrue more resources.

[ColonelKlinck]

I live in the UK, the NHS has saved my life 4 times in my 50 years. I've had 7 surgeries and spent around 7 weeks in total in hospital. It hasn't cost me an addition penny over what I pay in tax. In fact it is emergency healthcare where the NHS is at its very best. It can be argued that for things like cancer treatments private healthcare can be quicker IF you have great coverage. That is no conciliation to those that don't, are uninsurable or simply can't afford health insurance. You will never go bankrupt in the UK due to healthcare costs, as there aren't any. It is without doubt our most beloved institution that we will never be prepared to live without.
PS you can have private healthcare in the UK. All emergency rooms or A&E as we call them are NHS though.

[PRCOM]

The NHS deserve all the credit and more. They helped rebuild me when I broke my spine, the work they do for the millions of people in the UK is amazing and we should help fund the NHS more. We should be more thankful for the NHS especially with this pandemic

[catman]

As an American, I'll take the waiting times or the downsides of universal healthcare over one car accident putting me in five-figure debt.

[hugewangsan]

I've been in both systems. This illusion of choice is a lie. You still pay a copay with insurance and van only go to certain doctors. And wait times in the US are about the same.

[almn]

Thank you for shining a light on the nhs... hopefully some people in the USA will see what they are missing out on

[danollerenshaw]

Seeing quite a few people slagging off the NHS in the comments. We don't charge $10, 000 to deliver a baby and ask people to pay for an ambulance. That pretty much closes the argument

[dewiz]

The US: Hospitals buying billboard space to compete for patients is not in the interest of the patient. Just one small example.

[JimFeig]

The US has wait times just like everywhere else. I don't know why people think there isn't a wait to see a specialist because there is.

[rshiell]

You can probably guess that I’m bitter about the lack of mental health available in small towns. I was a soldier; I’m still suffering from tinnitus and the results of multiple concussions. My personality has changed, for the worse. I have not been allowed to see my daughter in a year and a half, because I have become a lot more aggressive. I didn’t choose this; I have had multiple head injuries and I am not the same. I miss my daughter.

[DFSJR]

I wish we had national healthcare. My wife has been hospitalized 5 times this year and her co-pay for those times is $8, 000.00 (US dollars). We are living on disability bennefits so that $8000 comes to a bit chunk of money. I need a operation on tumors on my Kidneys so I guess I am going to drop dead since I can't afford to get the operation done. And NO, we do not qualify for any other help.

[rodchallis]

If by this point in time one doesn't realize that one's health is inextricably linked to the general health of others, one is being willfully stupid.

[TheGrinningViking]

Privatization of healthcare benefits the insurance industry.

Literally no one else.

[Banks]

"i cant see without glasses." US: "go work for a month"

[freetolook]

Everything is a dividing issue here in America. It's what we do. We love to argue.