Comments (2)

By Kate, 14 August 2009 12:27 pm

Let me just start by saying I know full well that I’m preaching to the choir here, and the people who would most likely benefit from reading this never will. I suppose I have to accept this, because it’s not going to change (I mean, HAVE YOU SEEN these people?), but I’m going to talk about this anyway, because MY GOD.

First of all, it’s nice that Americans who know absolutely nothing about how the NHS works are saying they’d be dead if they lived in England right now, because clearly the NHS is just so evil that it’s impossible to actually LIVE in a place where it exists. And they know this from… watching the news? And this knowledge is enough for them to know that an NHS type system would cause the US to implode.

I don’t profess to know everything about the NHS, and I certainly don’t profess to know everything about the American system. I also don’t know everything about politics. What I do know is that while the NHS is not perfect, it’s a damn sight better than anything going on in America. And I don’t just pretend to know, I do know, because I’ve experienced both.

In the US, I had a great doctor. However, seeing that doctor was a hassle. I would wait anywhere from 30minutes to an hour and a half past my actual appointment time to see the actual doctor. I would have to order my prescriptions online if I wanted the best deal, because that’s how my insurance company did things. And medicine was still expensive anyway. I had to pay more to see the gyno, and more again for birth control. I spent a particularly dreadful two and a half hours on the phone with my insurance company one day when I was a freshman in college because I needed to find out what I had to do in order to get an xray on my sprained ankle at the hospital because that hospital was not in the town where my permanent address was. I managed to get an EGD done on my upper digestive tract right before my dad’s insurance ran out on me. The procedure cleared me of any problems, but the same insurance company denied me when I reapplied independently. As did a bunch of others. I ended up with crappy worldwide insurance with a  deductible of about $10,000 and a pre-approval policy, which basically all means it was absolutely useless. And this was at age 22. If I was being rejected then, god knows how I’d get insurance at 30, 40, or 50.

Now. In the UK, I registered with a General Practitioner, and I can go see him or anyone in the practice he works in at any time. I never wait longer than 15 minutes past my appointment time. I can make an appointment to speak over the phone if it’s more convenient. I can talk to nurses on the phone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week on NHS 24 if I have a problem out of hours. And I can even get an out of hours care appointment at a local hospital if I have a problem on a Friday night that’s not an emergency but is not something I want to wait til Monday to resolve. I pay £4 for any prescription I need. Except birth control. That’s all free. I can go to confidential sexual and women’s health clinics for advice and care from a gynecologist whenever I want. That’s free too. I can, if unfortunately necessary, go to the emergency room without even thinking about how much it’s all going to cost, because there are no bills. They just do what they need to do.

What does this give me? Massive peace of mind. I have a few minor niggling health issues that are under control because I can go to the doctor, talk about them, and treat them without worrying if I can afford it. If I lived in the US, this would be a problem. Not only because of money, but because of the stress associated with the cost and annoyance.

I also have the option of private insurance for hospital cover, which I do have. So contrary to what some might believe, you are not simply limited to the NHS. You can pay for more.  It’s not entirely necessary, but for £20 a month, I can guarantee that if something awful like cancer should arise, I don’t have to worry about NHS wait times (which again, are not perfect, but do exist). My insurance is with BUPA, and when I call them, they answer all my questions, they explain anything I’m unsure of, and there’s no ridiculous bullshit. they do exclude pre-existing conditions, but I don’t really have to worry about that, because it’s all covered by the NHS.

I pay a lot of tax, just like everyone, but this gives me access to these services. It also gives the unemployed, homeless, and everyone else access to these services. Anyone can go to the doctor. There is nothing standing between anyone in this country and a healthcare appointment except for stubbornness. And that’s just a personal problem.

All these Americans who don’t understand why government healthcare is a good idea? I can only imagine that they’re rich and must really enjoy being dicked around on the phone for hours by their insurance companies. Oh and they probably don’t have any pre-existing conditions. At all.

Also, the only logical conclusion I can make about you if you don’t believe everyone should be entitled to healthcare is that you’re kind of an asshole. How can you live with yourself as a human being? I can sort of understand your position if you don’t want to pay towards the pot that feeds the benefit/welfare system — I don’t agree with you, but I can see your point. But not contributing to the greater health of humanity and, as a result being ok with the fact that some people ultimately die because they don’t even get basic care? You’re entitled to your opinion as an American, but so am I. Asshole.

If opponents of government healthcare want to debate the point, they’re more than welcome. But can they not do it like civilised human beings and make points that are actually based in truth? These people are whining like two-year-olds, and frankly, it’s embarrassing.

The state of American healthcare is a very big part of the reason I can’t see myself ever living there again. These crazies I’m seeing on TV, who have now dragged the UK into the debate, are making me want to stay away even more. Sorry Mom, Dad, family, and friends, I love the US, and I love you, but the place doesn’t look too appealing just now. I’ll take my evil NHS over the lunatics and their protests any day.

*Disclaimer: I don’t actually have any problem with Socialists. I do not think they are filthy. I also do not think pigs are filthy. In fact, pigs are quite smart, clean, and wonderful, and I would like one as a pet.

Comments (0)

By Kate, 13 August 2009 11:46 am

Lately, due to the economy’s nosedive, there has been a spate of cooking shows, tips in magazines, and articles on the internet about being a more thrifty cooker/eater/food shopper/etc. This is potentially extremely helpful, and it also often focuses on eating good quality stuff, not cheap crap just because you can’t afford a sirloin steak. So in general, I like the trend. The problem is, it hasn’t been very helpful to me.

Last night, I checked out the BBC’s latest offering on the subject: Economy Gastronomy.

The point of the show is to learn how to decrease your food bill and eat better at the same time. Last night, the show’s presenters took on a family of five who have been spending nearly £400 a week on food. That’s an INSANE amount of money. And to make it worse, they pretty much ate the same two recipes all the time. And bought around 50 pre-made desserts every week. Madness.

Obviously, these people needed the help. The advice they got focused on the age-old ‘make a grocery list and stick to it’. And while some people may need to be told this, I can’t actually imagine NOT shopping with a grocery list, so dedicating a good third of an hour on emphasizing the importance of planning a menu and buying what you need for it seems like time ill-spent.

However, I guess a lot of people must shop without a list if this tip keeps popping up. My mother has never gone to the store without a list, nor have I. Even if it’s a short list in my head (milk, butter, toilet paper), it still exists. I just don’t understand how it’s possible to walk into a grocery store for a big weekly shop with no menu planned and no list of what you need and come out with something that’s going to get you through the next 7 days properly. I can hold a lot in my head at once, but planning a week of meals as I go down the aisles just isn’t going to happen.

The other big tips were also old standards: making one big roast or meat-based meal at the beginning of the week that generated enough leftovers for another two meals, making your own desserts, packing your own lunch, using less popular cheap cuts of meat, buying produce in season. These are all things that I stand behind 100%. These are also all things that I already do.

I’m not trying to be all ‘I’m awesome because I knew that already’ here. If anything, I’m trying to give my mom props for showing me the glory of lists and thrift. But I really want some advice I haven’t heard before. I think this show was great, and I think it will show a lot of people what they’re missing while keeping some of their money from flying out of their wallets on their weekly food-buying excursions. But I want to save more money too.

I do my best, but food is our luxury. We (especially I) really like food. GOOD food. We spend around £35-40 a week on food for the two of us. It’s not bad, but I’m sure we can spend less, even if I don’t mind it being a slightly bigger expense than it probably needs to be. However, I will not buy crap.  I like knowing where my meat came from, and I like knowing those animals had a good life, so I go to a good butcher. I like knowing where my veg comes from, so I get it delivered from a local farm (which is actually far cheaper than buying organic, or even non-organic, at the grocery store. It also supports local business and provides a crap-ton of potatoes, which go pretty far in terms of creating meals).

I like knowing what I put in my body is quality. But I also like spending less money. These things can go hand in hand quite well, but I’m sure there are some things I’m overlooking, and I want a show or an article that gives me a tip that makes me go, ‘Hey! I never thought of that!’