Heya -

that is very true......

Artist - I am going on to radio 4 to discuss university, disability and care... or something - I am terribly excited LOL..... (though will have to do the best I can to moderate my language - a swearing Queen wouldn't be good!!!)..... (I didn't realise how strong my accent was till I saw a video of me..... AGH! not good)... LOL ...never mind

It is unfair - the US welfare state is incredibly unfair - it relies on people having the money to have treatment - they appear to be too thick to realise that if you treat someone when they are ill then they can get back to work quickly - whereas if you don't treat them then they generally get worse, lose their jobs and then have to go on welfare benefits. I really think that your support for the next election should be behind (damn can't remeber his name --> ermm... his dad was from Kenya and he went to Harvard Law School) who procalims he wants to bring in something like the NHS that we have in the UK.

I am not saying the UK is brilliant - whilst you wait a week to see a consultant I wait 8 or 9 months - even as a blue light emergency you are rarely seen within a week unless you go through ER. I have waited over a year to see a neurologist before. Some people can be waiting years to get access to treatments - and even then there are rows if you go out of area about who pays for drugs, surgeries, equipment or anything like that. It is all based around an outdated labour PCT funding system which is bloody dreadful if you have a disease like this. The NHS are awesome when it comes to dealing with emergencies - but not long term degenerative conditions. When a adr says that you NEED to be in hospital he often can't find a bed for weeks as he will only be allocated 4 shared beds and my rheum always used to feel guilty that he couldn't offer the treatment I (and others) needed because of the bed space issues.

There has to be something which can be done about it - this is not a fair situation. If I had approrpiate treatment I might not be in the situatioon I am in today - and would have saved the govt $1000 a week in carers fees, at least $50,000 in equipment, and a likely lifetime bill of thousands more... But that doesn't occur to them.

In my case they are lucky - I am able to continue my education and I am planning to work after I get my degree - but the UK are making it as difficult as possible!. Once I earn over about $12,000 a year I have to start on paying for my own care and lose all my benefits (apart from the $600 a month DLA) - there is no way I can afford that! but at the same time - I will just have to get through it. My mother realised she would be better off giving up working (she works full time as an army sister (nurse)) and because of having a disabled daughter she would earn more money (through tax credits, housing benefits etc) than she does working.

How bizzare is that system!?!

Change is needed.... but at the same time - it has to be thought out.

Ok - well that's my rant on this over for a while!

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