|
I live in Britain, under the NHS. I suffer from extremely severe depression and anxiety disorders. As a result of that, I self-harm frequently. I also suffer from an unconnected condition where my stomach produces too much acid and I have slightly high blood pressure.
I take antidepressents and acidity regulators every morning. I pay £7 (about $15) to get my prescription filled. If I were unemployed, young or elderly, I would be exempt from that. That's all I pay. My psychiatric tests and care, home visits from a psychiatric nurse, doctor's appointments, hospitalisation or operations if required; all of those are fully covered by the NHS. My other half gets a notice once a year that she should probably get a mamogram and/or smear test. It's not required that she get one but it is strongly recommended and that's covered by the NHS. Because my blood pressure was noticed very early during routine checks, it can be taken care of with a few minor changes to diet (and the recommendation that I quit smoking which I'm ignoring) but if I needed medication for that, that would be covered too. My stomach condition is pre-existing from about twenty years ago. Doesn't matter. There is no such thing as a "pre-existing condition" here (except in the sense that your doctor will ask before prescribing you drugs to ensure they don't interfere with any other condition).
As for government getting in the way? Yeah, they're just plain lying. I could ring my doctor this morning and get an appointment this afternoon. But maybe I'm special because I have "SUICIDE RISK" on my file? Nope, most people will get appointments the same day or, at worst, the following day. I get whatever treatment my doctor and psychiatrist think are necessary, they note it down on a computerised system and the NHS reimburses them. No forms to fill in, no suit deciding if you really need that treatment. You just get the treatment and the exchange of money doesn't involve you. The career civil servants who run the NHS don't decide what treatments you need either, they just direct resources where they're needed, quickly, quietly and with a minimum of fuss and they do it for an average 6.8% of the budget (including pensions and benefits).
As for dentistry. Yeah, British detistry sucks, that's why Brits tend to have bad teeth. But it's not because our dental service is "socialised", it's because, due to a loophole, dentistry in this country isn't socialised.
I'm sorry for your pain, I really am. And it makes me personally angry that you live in the richest nation in the world and your country won't provide healthcare for you. Britain, France, Germany, Greece, even Italy manage this with much less resources (and in Italy's case, legendary corruption) but it's outrageous that the USA, the "shining city on the hill", doesn't give a shit about it's poor.
|