PJ,
Well then, that's makes me feel a little bit better
Funny you should wonder the comparison between the US and the UK insurance premiums.....as many of us in the US wonder the same thing!
The overall cost of healthcare insurance in the US is extremely high and the coverage varies greatly from one policy to another. To my knowledge, there is no medical coverage here that will cover 100% of the hospital cost other than medicaid. In most cases, the patient usually has to pay some portion of the bill in addition to a deductible. With medicare, the person usually has a supplemental policy that they pay for in addition to their medicare which is used to pick up the balance on certain procedures. But none of these things are inexpensive by any means.
Is it mandatory or elective to pay toward the NHS healthcare coverage?
Your private coverage... may be similar to here. Are there various policies to choose from or just one?
Sorry for all the questions, just curious how different the systems work!
Bryanna
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pjsavvy
Hehe, it's not as as bad as you may think. Physicians have a 'Two Week Referral' system for anything which is deemed dangerous to a patient. So for example, if a doctor finds a suspicious lump on a woman's breast, they'll be referred under TWR. That means they must be seen by the specialist surgeons within 14 days of the referral.
There is private healthcare which is quicker and arguably better but the NHS is a service funded by the government (the tax payer covers it) and sees that patients get their treatment in hospital free of charge. I have long wondered what the difference is between a US citizen paying health insurance and a UK citizen paying taxes to cover the NHS.
My dentist could have made a referral before now and was happy to do so, but it was just before Christmas and New Year and so was agreed that we would enjoy the holidays before progressing things. I also wanted to look into the possibility of private treatment but have found this to be a bit too expensive. She was kind enough to give me amoxycillin and metronidazole in case anything flared up over the holidays but i've been fine.
That's the strange thing, it's not physically uncomfortable. Yes, the palate is a bit swollen and there is drainage if I compress the area, but if I leave it alone then I wouldn't even know there's a problem! Of course though, I know that there is a problem and i'll look forward to having it sorted out.
Good luck with your treatment Ginnie. I get the feeling you'll be a rather relieved and happy person once it's all done!
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