Re: US healthcare system
May I ask what you paid for the blood test in US? Well If UK has such delays then there is something wrong with their healthcare system. We in mid-Europe get the result on the same day (in some hours) (and yet I had to pay nothing). And even in Pak you get the result on the same day!
I paid whatever my co-pay was.. I think 10 dollars for the doctor + two lab tests, one of which is very expensive.
And yes 2 weeks is normal turnover time here, for even simple X-rays.
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Well such incidents like that with your mom happen (unfortunately), but such cases do happen in the States as well. I have had people complaining about docs and their under-qualification and yet they paid lots of money to get one or two operations done properly.
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I guess thats anecdotal. My experience with US docs is great, Im sure theres some bad stuff too. But waiting times are never as bad in US as they routinely are in UK and Canada.
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I'm talking about the treatment level, which includes efficiency, competance, quality and qualification of a doc. As I said above I had heard complains about US docs too. The more money you spend the better result you get....is actually not always true nor right. My father is best example and finally he had his health problem solved by a Pak military doc, with half as good equipment and with a doc's degree from a less respected UNIVERSITY.
And It worked.
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Earlier in the thread I cited Pakistan as a case where the healthcare is much much better than is supposed. Its affordable and competant.
My mother eventually got her care from a surgeon in Karachi, who coincidentally had trained and practiced in UK too. Same level of competance, same equipment, different country. For a comparatively piddling amount (in pounds).
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But I still believe healthcare systems like in mid-Europe do benefit you financially a lot. You wont hesitate going to a doc at any time, since you will not feel that the docs are looting you. WHereas with private insurances docs tend to make more money, thus invite the patient every second day to their clinic although 1 check-up a month would be more than satisfying.
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Dunno. I've never lived in mid-europe (Im not even sure what mid-europe is!) so I cant say. It possibly has to do with the strain on the system, how many people are using it vs how many people are paying for it. NHS here is not in great shape, which I guess accounts for the bad services.