Today Is International Nurses Day. So Let's Hear It For Them On Hip!

It basically is free to most people's frame of mind. They're not oppressed. They're living; with healthcare albeit.

It's a matter of how you perceive it. And when it's a tax, it's typically perceived as part of life. It's just there... it just is.

They're not an impoverished country. I've been there. Granted I haven't experienced their medical care. But I'm sure their facilities are beyond adequate for their purposes. On a comparable level with the state of the art in the United States and elsewhere in first world countries.



Just so I'm clear, I'm not trying to start an argument. I'm just making conversation. What is it about paying up front, or rather taxation that is so unpalatable? I mean you don't even feel it.

 

Thank you for your very valued considered opinion there Soul.
Yes of course it all comes out of general taxation, and like you say we don't even feel it..
To tell you the truth I would rather live here than in America were one has to have health insurance for pretty much everything.
And of course if anyone hits it to much then premiums will skyrocket, or the insurance company will dump you.

At least in our country, even if somebody from abroad falls ill or even has a baby or anything serious everything here is still free.
This is why the UK is well known for it's health tourists from other countries!

 

Oh my!

I didn't know about it... That's a pretty nifty policy, @Boozercruiser.

 

Which is why some petty-minded 'little englanders' continually complain about too many 'immigrants' flooding into the uk.

 

Just so you know.
I have Vlad on 'ignore' because he is a left wing Trotsky/Marxist who usually talks his same old same old same old mantra, and I have had enough of him and am not interested in what he has to say at all!
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I don't know about it being a 'nifty' policy Soul, but here is some information for you:

The Daily Mail and the Express have reported this week that the Government has shelved its plans to crackdown on health tourism, amid accusations that “MPs have caved in to left wing doctors” – so what are the facts?

Who is a “health tourist”?

Qualifying for free NHS care isn’t based on nationality or where someone was born. It’s based on whether you are “ordinarily resident” in the UK and the type of treatment you need.

The government estimates that normal use of the NHS, by people who aren’t “ordinarily resident”, but who don’t come to the UK specifically to use the NHS, is around £1.8 billion a year.
This can include holiday makers who injure themselves while in the UK or someone who gets sick while in the UK for work temporarily.

When it made this estimate in 2012/13 the government said it thought that about £190 million of this figure could be charged directly to patients and another £220 million charged to European Economic Area (EEA) countries under the European Health Insurance Card scheme.

Deliberate health tourism means those who come to the UK deliberately to use NHS services they’re not entitled to for free.
Those taking advantage of the system are those who frequently come to the UK and are able to use GP services and other treatments like prescriptions.
This could even include British expats who return to the UK to see a trusted doctor.

It is this group the Mirror refers to when it says that health tourism costs 0.3% of NHS spending.

What does it cost?

The government has estimated that treating deliberate health tourists and those taking advantage costs around £100 to £300 million a year. Those are incredibly rough figures.

At the moment there are some services which, no matter whether you are “ordinarily resident” or not, you can’t be charged for.
The costs estimated by the government also include these services, like going to see a GP or using Accident and Emergency.
So even if the NHS charged for all the services it possibly could and received the money, it wouldn’t cover the full amount health tourism is estimated to cost.

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And the below is from todays Dail Mail:

Health tourists cost the NHS £150M in unpaid bills | Daily Mail Online

Revealed: Health tourists cost the NHS £150m in unpaid bills as doctors say asking for payment is 'racist' and hospital chases Nigerian mother for £500,000 over birth of her quadruplets three years ago

• Cash could pay for 6,000 nurses, 22,000 heart bypasses or 5,500 junior doctors
• Two London hospitals are owed £56m, including almost £500k from one patient
• Nigerian Priscilla, 43, racked up bill by giving birth to triplets in west London

Overseas patients have left the NHS with more than £150million in unpaid bills for treatment, a Daily Mail investigation reveals.

The cash could pay for 6,000 nurses, 22,000 heart bypasses or nearly 5,500 junior doctors.

Two hospitals in London are owed £28million each, including almost £500,000 from one patient alone.

The revelation comes amid a new-found reluctance among frontline staff to chase payments, with doctors' leaders saying their obligation to charge overseas patients is 'racist' and deters vulnerable groups from seeking help.

But Tory MP Philip Davies said: 'It is the National Health Service, not an international health service and it is essential these charges are made for overseas visitors.'

 

I can empathise totally with what you have to say there Lily.
Him being a Trotsky/Marxist/Leninist/Communist one just cannot reason with people like that.
All he knows is Scumbag Nasty Party and from there on whatever brain he has goes into scramble mode of an illiterate.
He shouts this and shouts that and can be very nasty himself.

During my working life I was the Works Convener and Shop Steward in Fords and CAV/LUCAS and TIMKEN.
I learned that these people just want revolution for their Marxist/Communist/Leninist/Trotsky Brand and beyond that they just don't want to know.

Mark my words Lily.
He will reply to this post with a lot of verbal diarrhoea, but of course I won't be seeing any of it because like you I have him on 'ignore'.

Best way.
And great minds think alike!

Sorry Lily, but I have to go now.
Nurse has just arrived!
Me back is hurting, and I need a massage

 

Christ Lily.
Now you'r talkin'!

Have toothbrush.
Can travel!

I love it but please be careful on the nuddy pics though, because as we already know to our cost in other threads, there appears to be an eagerness to close a thread down for this.
And of course I wouldn't want them to have the excuse for doing just that.
You can of course PM me with anything you like, with all being gratefully received!
In fact.
I double dare you!

Dipping for a minute into the election result.
NO they haven't got over the election result.
NO they haven't got over LOSING Brexit.

They LOST big time and sometimes LOSERS such as Bad Vlad get very nasty about it, and start throwing their rattles out of their prams.

My answer to them.
See Ya.
Wouldn't wanna be ya!

PS.
The other nurse couldn't cope with massaging me as I kept rising to the occasion.
So she has sent the Sister.
That's very nice of her!

 

Hear Hear Lily!

 

That’s just like saying that driving your brand new Lexus IS free every time you start the car. While ignoring the cost of gas, maintenance, insurance, and your car loan. Your money is still disappearing from you

 

I’ll just say I’m glad my tax dollars aren’t funding these idiots with their tiktok videos. Some of you aren’t so fortunate

 

I wish this was the case with Canadian nurses. We have an ethics committee here in hospitals to help address the nurses and the Lack of understanding, reliability, lack of encouragement and bad work ethics.

 

ok.

I understand. I just think that the way taxes work; particularly when they are extracted as a sales tax or are withheld from the salary. It's still being spent. You're absolutely right about that. But it was never in your pocket or your bank account. It was earmarked for you. The responsibility was removed from the equation. You didn't have to think about it or budget it.

It's my belief that people are irresponsible with their money. That is for a multitude of reasons and outside stressors. But when you make it so that part of the deal is that a reasonable amount is dedicated to their healthcare, and they're still left with ample resources (therein lies the question - who or what defines 'ample' in this case?, but that's beside the point I'm making) to express themselves or save for a vacation or buy booze and pot, then I think you've done that person a favor.

Personal choice is a factor you might argue. Because when that said healthcare comes from a government entity it's more like their doctor and less like your doctor. But unless you have healthcare issues, you probably don't even see the doctor that often for it to make a difference in your perspective on autonomy, nor much of a dent in your pay.

To use your car example, it would probably be a little like someone fixes & gases your car at a flat rate that you can afford. But people still might feel like "what if I have summers off because I am a high school teacher and don't use half as much gas in the summer because I don't have to drive to work?". That'd be a lot like right now where we don't drive as much, but also you'd have a point. Why am I paying taxes for this gasoline that I don't use?

 

And believe it or not 6.
I agree with you.
Just this once!