Barack Obama is the Good Samaritan for US Health Care

Most of us are used to some type of health insurance in the the UK despite the existence of the ubiquitous free for all NHS.

In fact most UK citizens have purchased private medical insurance at some time or another!

Yep! surprising isn't it! But because we all travel we are probably as well versed in the vagaries of the medical insurance section of our travel insurance policies as we are with our compulsory car insurance!

Since the 1970's Brits have regularly bought medical insurance for their two week jaunt to the Costa del Sol and very many have had to claim and seen the workings of a foreign privatised health care system in action.

It is only then that we see the true worth of our NHS, when we have to participate in the bureaucracy of a claim when sick. We also get to see the standards of foreign care at the coal face!
Still, the good news about those sorts of health insurance covers found on a travel policy is that they will always repatriate you to good old Blighty and the awaitng NHS.

Most Brits like to visit our cousins in the United States.
This is when we come face to face with the fact that health care is not homogenous, especially when it comes to availablilty and more importantly - price!
Those travel insurance insurance policies suddenly treble in premium and all those exclusions to cover such as pre-existing medical conditions suddenly become real concerns....the same sort of concerns that face the average American daily!

Even with Insurance - you don't wan't to get ill in America. You especially don't want to get ill for a chronic amount of time - all health insurasnce policies have strict limits of liability!
What if the money runs out?

In the Land of the Free there is no human safety net! (if you can't pay)

Charles Darwin would have loved it!

Remember the parable of the Good Samaritan?

From the right wing noises of middle american rabble rousing grannies shouting on about abortions and illegal immigrants that we see every night on CBS and ABC news ..... I don't think so! Try Luke!

Well you all go to church on Sunday dressed up in you finery, or is that just Hollywood agitprop to satisfy the lunatics of the Bible belt?

So step forward Barack Obama, determined to bring some social justice to the cities and peoples of America. The Good Samaritan who refused to walk on by on the issue of Health Care.

From the looks on the faces of those church going grannies and their militia sons who are dressed up for Afghanistan, and their kids dressed up like neo cons from The Matrix.....I just hope you're wearing extra strong Kevlar Barack, because in some parts of your divided nation that's the only healthcare you will need!

Could you afford Cancer life saving drugs?

Health Care Cover Top Ups explained

Health Insurance companies in the UK are currently taking a serious look at a potentiallly new type of health insurance, that of health care top up cover.

There are a potential 25 million customers in the UK for this type of health care cover, which will cover anyone who is not currently protected by health insurance and who has to have treatment over and above that provided by the National Health Service.

NHS top ups are already very widespread throughout the UK, common examples being for prescription charges or dentistry work. Other examples are NHS patients who decide to pay for a private single room in an NHS hospital and couples who pay for fertility treatment and then go on to use the NHS obstetric and maternity services.

The recent public debate over expensive 'life extending' cancer drugs, not available to NHS patients, has accelerated as the list of these life saving drugs has grown.

Since 1999 a Government quango NICE, the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence has been responsible for the assessment of all new pharmaceuticals and drugs on a cost-benefit basis, before they are introduced to the NHS.
NICE is often criticised for it's slow response to the introduction of new drugs, and decision making, often resulting in potentially life enhancing treatments not being available to those who cannot pay. Currently worse off patients who are aware of the new treatments, can apply to their local Primary Care Trust (PCT, to receive unapproved drugs, but only in exceptional circumstances and many are refused.
Decisions whether to allow a new treatment vary considerably between PCT's which has given rise to the term 'Postcode Lottery NHS'. Even where NICE gives the green light to new drugs, many PCT's refuse to add them to their lists of approved treatments as some of them cost in excess of GBP5000 per week!

Health Insurance companies in the UK and the Government are currently looking at 'top up health care' insurance, that would not offer the full range of medical insurance covers, but for a few pounds per week would ensure that all treatments are available to everyone under the NHS.

Health Insurance blogger welcomes the introduction of this new cover as quickly as possible. New drugs are appearing all the time and the UK's fastest growing sector is in bio-tecnologies and drug treatments. We need to put a system in place which is outside both the current Private Health Insurance and NHS systems, which not only supports these new technologies by also protects the health of the nation with ALL available resources!