[Quinny]

This is a feedack email I sent to my local Hospital. The direct charge to me £0. The indirect charge to the nation - a hell of a lot less than the US private model!


"My GP recently sent me to your hospital for a blood test and x-ray with no appointment. I must admit I was not looking forward to the visit and because I had no appointment I also anticipated a long wait. I decided to visit yesterday the 30th September.

My visit surpassed all expectations. After a one minute wait, the phlebotomist was very professional and pain was minimal. I duly arrived at X-ray North and after waiting a couple of minutes was again treated excellently by the radio-therapist.

I had finished both my treatments within 30 minutes, I hardly had a chance to open the book I had brought to read!

I was very pleasantly surprised with my visit and particularly the politeness shown by all staff, including the worker who was cleaning the external areas and car parks who greeted me on my arrival with a pleasant "Good morning".

I have spent considerable time travelling recently and many of the hotels and restaurants I used could learn a lot about customer service from you. Well done!"

[Bas]

Here in Holland we have a form of socialized medicine, and my latest brush with it has left me very pleased.

I had an eyeinfection a couple of weeks ago that wouldn't go away, so I called my familydocter to see me for a second time, and he could see me just two hours later, he made an appointment with the hospital which helped me that same afternoon. For an hour they extensively looked at my eye and tested pretty much everything there is to test, and gave me new eyedrops. Didn't have to wait...well ok one time for ten minutes..but that's it. And doesn't cost me a thing, except for my insurance.

I pay 90 euros in health insurance a month. If you're poor the government will pay about half to two thirds of that. If you have more money you can get slightly more expensive insurance that will also cover alternative therapies that are not obliged by law to be covered.

[SeaGypsy]

Obama was stupid when he said there will be no new tax to fund medicare.
Effectively mandatory private health insurance is a new tax; so he's talking crap. In fact a new tax would be a lot fairere as it would be based on a % of income not some arbitrary figure from the insurance industry.

In Australia I pay 2% of my gross wages as Medicare. I must show I am privately insured to get rid of this tax; which works out to be worthwhile at about $50kpa (the same point it is mandated at. If I become unemployed I pay nothing. Medicines are mostly subsidised by the Pharmacueticals Benefit Scheme so a set script price is the norm.
I use the system extremely little with an average 1 GP visit every 2 years.
So I am being 'ripped off'. Do I mind? No. Why? Because I see the good of the system everyday. I see many lives improved by it. The system makes me feel I am part of a civilised society; even if it costs me more personally.
The "Stop 'em bleedin' 'n get 'em out" reality of uninsured care in the USA is disgusting and inhumane in the extreme.

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Quinny', 'T')his is a feedack email I sent to my local Hospital. The direct charge to me £0. The indirect charge to the nation - a hell of a lot less than the US private model!


"My GP recently sent me to your hospital for a blood test and x-ray with no appointment. I must admit I was not looking forward to the visit and because I had no appointment I also anticipated a long wait. I decided to visit yesterday the 30th September.

My visit surpassed all expectations. After a one minute wait, the phlebotomist was very professional and pain was minimal. I duly arrived at X-ray North and after waiting a couple of minutes was again treated excellently by the radio-therapist.

I had finished both my treatments within 30 minutes, I hardly had a chance to open the book I had brought to read!

I was very pleasantly surprised with my visit and particularly the politeness shown by all staff, including the worker who was cleaning the external areas and car parks who greeted me on my arrival with a pleasant "Good morning".

I have spent considerable time travelling recently and many of the hotels and restaurants I used could learn a lot about customer service from you. Well done!"

[deMolay]

From a national newspaper in Toronto. http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blog ... lway.aspx#