NHS/RHS Flower Show... on the way. Terrific!
13/06/07 13:35 Filed in: Personal
Got up this morning to be greeted by a promotional leaflet for the RHS Flower Show at Tatton Park, Cheshire.
Actually, it actually read as the ...HS Flower Show because it had been folded in the wrong place. Which then caused all sorts of confusion in my head. For starters.. are the NHS going to run a Flower Show? If so.. would it take 8 hours to get into the place only to see a few flowers? OK, so that was a cheap pop at the NHS. Especially when I found out a little more about the state of medical care in 'the States'.
Whilst I can appreciate that social care is something of a missing factor in America (United States of, that is) I can't help but feel that medical care should be offered free to minors. Wesh, one of the many local Orlando News channels covered a story about a young teenager whose medical insurance only covered 50% of their cancer treatment and therefore she died because it was withdrawn.
As a European I found the whole thing unbelievably disturbing. Even private medical care company BUPA has a 'unlimited fund' policy with regards cancer treatment. I don't know why medicare didn't help her out. Wesh suggested that it was taking so long to sort out the paperwork that she died in the interim, plus I'm not even sure if her treatment was allowed.
What amused me most was the way all the Doctors in the states were interviewed they stated with "As we know, America has the best medical care in the world". Well, it's not. Not by a long chalk and the repeated declaration that it is isn't going to cut much mustard with either "The Commonwealth Fund" (A private foundation working toward a higher performance health system) or the World Health Organisation who rank the States very poorly.
So why do US Doctors and Politicians state and re-state this fact? Well, would you buy a car from a company that said its cars we're Okay, but could be better. I doubt it either; and because health is a business, that's why there is a pressure to promote.
If you fancy seeing a better debate. Read this Japan Times article.
Actually, it actually read as the ...HS Flower Show because it had been folded in the wrong place. Which then caused all sorts of confusion in my head. For starters.. are the NHS going to run a Flower Show? If so.. would it take 8 hours to get into the place only to see a few flowers? OK, so that was a cheap pop at the NHS. Especially when I found out a little more about the state of medical care in 'the States'.
Whilst I can appreciate that social care is something of a missing factor in America (United States of, that is) I can't help but feel that medical care should be offered free to minors. Wesh, one of the many local Orlando News channels covered a story about a young teenager whose medical insurance only covered 50% of their cancer treatment and therefore she died because it was withdrawn.
As a European I found the whole thing unbelievably disturbing. Even private medical care company BUPA has a 'unlimited fund' policy with regards cancer treatment. I don't know why medicare didn't help her out. Wesh suggested that it was taking so long to sort out the paperwork that she died in the interim, plus I'm not even sure if her treatment was allowed.
What amused me most was the way all the Doctors in the states were interviewed they stated with "As we know, America has the best medical care in the world". Well, it's not. Not by a long chalk and the repeated declaration that it is isn't going to cut much mustard with either "The Commonwealth Fund" (A private foundation working toward a higher performance health system) or the World Health Organisation who rank the States very poorly.
So why do US Doctors and Politicians state and re-state this fact? Well, would you buy a car from a company that said its cars we're Okay, but could be better. I doubt it either; and because health is a business, that's why there is a pressure to promote.
If you fancy seeing a better debate. Read this Japan Times article.