"Tchiowa" wrote in message
news:1154598733.290446.143020@p79g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...
>
>>
>> No, you don't. Doctors work in private practice and are reimbursed by
>> Social Security. The same is true for hospitals. There is also a
>> system of entirely public hospitals with staff physicians. You can go
>> to the public facilities for free, or you can go to private providers
>> who accept Social Security as payment in full, or you can go to
>> private providers who accept SS as partial payment and you pay the
>> rest. You can also contract for private insurance for anything that
>> Social Security does not pay. It costs a few dozen euro per month.
>
> Not with NHS.
>
> You go where you're told to doctors with controlled rates and use drugs
> with controlled prices.
>
Well no unless you count FREE as a controlled rate.
Under the UK NHS you register with a doctor , there are no fees for
consultations or treatment and drugs are subject to a fixed prescription
charge no matter how expensive they are. You can choose to pay a one
off fee of £6.65 or a prepaid prescrption certificate which is much cheaper.
The unemployed , retired, children, pregnant woman and low paid groups
are exempt from these prescription charges.
If you are travelling within the country and need to see another doctor
you just go into any local doctors office, fill in a short form and
see him, again no fee is charged.
You are quite at liberty to go to a fee charging private doctor and he
can prescribe drugs which are then bought at full price but for obvious
reasons few people do this.
Primary health care (access to your local GP) is actually very good
under the NHS and even those people who have private health
insurance , like myself, still use the NHS doctors at local level.
The only time I would resort to my private health cover is when
hospital admission is required and even there the surgeon
who operates on me will likely be the same one who works
in the local NHS hospital. Mostly what I get for my money
is improved hotel services in hospital, a private room instead
of a public ward etc.
As a result private health cover in the UK is essentially a topup
to the public service and is MUCH cheaper than in the USA
as I know having lived in Ohio for 3 years.
Keith
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