It does most of what it does passably well if you're able to wait half a year for treatment.

An ideology is an opinion one never changes despite evidence to the contrary often politically pushed for its simplicity.

Private investment = I see a pot of cash, sink my claws into it, and extract value for myself and shareholders.

Public investment = I see an empty pot, steal the public's money to fill it up, and tip it into the toilet.

I see a little silhouetto of a man

Somewhat better than passably for the most part. The waiting times in certain areas are poor, but pretty good in others. It is possible to eradicate waits if you're willing to through money at it, but a reasonable wait if it keeps costs down is no bad thing

A&E is abysmally overtaxed, surgery waiting times are obscene.

If it kept costs down that wouldn't be so bad, but it doesn't. The NHS guzzles money like the average teenager trying to drown themselves with alcohol.

@"Before getting too deep into it I will note that they don't deny the figure that the bus claimed that we send to the EU, they simply bemoan that the funds will not be heading to the NHS in the aftermath - so we can safely take it as read that the charming remoaners don't deny that we sent (and still send, while negotiations are ongoing) upwards of Eighteen Billion pounds to the EU every year."

Ok, so ignoring the fact that this isn't the net amount; and that the UK negotiated a massive rebate to cancel the effect of farm subsidies (ie everyone else has the pay the EU's farmers, but the UK having less of an agricultural industry, pays less in). After you leave the EU you will have to A) pay for customs and border agents to do more work or B) remain in the customs union/common market and pay the EU for the privilege (but have no say in rules of said market).

The same is true of nearly all other funding. Money spent by the EU on least developed regions (which you can see here in red: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/European_regional_policy_2014.svg) like the coast of wales and cornwall; and the transition regions (Northern Ireland, northern England and the north of Scotland, among others) will dry up, so it does give the British govt the option to not pay for regional development.

I guess i don't trust that the British govt will do anything positive with this power, given that historically they are the reason those regions are less developed than the EU average.

You probably will get the benefit of not paying the for the administration of the EU, which is ~6% of the total budget.

Or will suffer from govt cutbacks in all areas that Westminster decides not to fund - which is the actual lie here. Either you get 350 million for the NHS, which comes out of cutting back on things the EU currently funds, or Westminster decides NOT to redirect this funding to the NHS, and hey presto; the govt doesn't like giving the NHS money, because if they keep up their chronic under-funding, they can increase the anger and resentment the public harbour for the NHS, and eventually privatize it (ie sell to their mates at mates-rates and see a huge profit).

No matter what, the intention was to fuck the public.

The political divides in the UK are so cute.

Describing NHS as a failure. hahahaha.

Want to see failure? See the US system. now THAT is a failure.

"Describing NHS as a failure. hahahaha.

Want to see failure? See the US system. now THAT is a failure." <- This

Honestly the Congo probably has a more affordable Healthcare system than ours

"The NHS guzzles money like the average teenager trying to drown themselves with alcohol."

A friend of mine was transported to the local hospital while I was in college for observation because he had too much alcohol and the RAs were concerned that he might have alcohol poisoning. The 10 minute ambulance ride to the local ER cost him $800 and a night's stay in the hospital strictly for observation and IV fluids cost him almost $1,500.

I haven't spent close to $2,300 on alcohol in my entire life, and I drink. A lot.

A similar circumstance in the UK probably would have cost the individual something around £500. That is probably a closer figure to how much the average teenager spends during their teenage years trying to drown themselves in alcohol. Therefore, I guess you're right.

My life has been saved by the NHS on two separate occasions and in both cases I recieved superb care. I am happy to pay for this through my taxes.

The UK spends under $3,000 per person, while the US spends about three times that amount per person. The UK has pretty much 100% insurance coverage, while the US has made huge strides, but still have 10% with no insurance of any kind.

What does the US get for that lavish spending? Jack shit:

Life expectancy is lower in the US, the US has triple the maternal mortality rate (27 v 9 deaths per 100,000 live births), double the infant mortality rate. Given how much we spend on health care, you'd expect the US would deliver better results, but it actually spends a lot more for vastly worse outcomes.

Only Americans are dumb enough to think this is a good deal.

If you have two pints a week Bo_Sox it'll only take you ten years to spend upwards of £3k.

the reality is that much of US care is done to prevent lawsuits by greedy trial lawyers who take between one third to two thirds of any awards (and screwing over the client a second time). whereas the NHS has protections that prevent that. if you really want to reduce healthcare costs, get the bloodsucking lawyers out. if you really want to see how healthcare is managed best see what Kaiser Permanente does. Now that is a successful healthcare system. if you doubt this check its rating. Five stars of five stars possible, several years running and the government has NOTHING to do with how it manages itself.

any bloodsucking lawyers around here to try to refute that? oh i ogion, catch any ambulances lately?

he Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was once renowned in Africa for its network of clinics, quality of physicians, and primary health care system. In the past three decades, the political and economic collapse of the country had a dramatic impact on this system. Hospitals and clinics lack personnel and equipment, and often run out of critical medicine and supplies. An estimated 70 percent of Congolese have little or no access to health care. Strengthening the health care system is critical to improving the health of Congolese citizens.

https://www.usaid.gov/democratic-republic-congo/global-health

so much for brainbomb's prattle ^

Capt Brad was forced the walk the plank after his crew developed scurvy and malnutrition

Seems you don't know shit about the Congo, brainbomb.

brainbomb was runout of town on a rail after he poisoned three patients with his tainted food

he don't know shit about cooking either

@ bo

"A similar circumstance in the UK probably would have cost the individual something around £500"

How?

My vague memories of when I became the Elm Tree Inn's record holder for drinking the weird clear stuff on the top shelf (undefeated for all time as the pub has sadly shut) didn't actually cost me anything for the ambulance ride or hospital stay. And I managed to drag myself to school the next day!

I read on the faithful, always truthful interwebs that the average day-long hospital stay in the United Kingdom costs about £400 before any treatment, which is exactly what my friend went through - a night at the hospital without any treatment. I threw on the extra digit for the ambulance. I figure that ambulances must be cheaper too, right?

If there is actually no out-of-pocket expense for the individual in that case, then that only helps my point, so thanks. I'm jealous.

That may be the actual cost of a hospital stay, but I really have no idea. There is an argument for a point of use charge at hospitals, especially for A&E, to discourage time wasters. Something like £50 or so, or a tenner for those on free prescriptions. I'd be inclined to do the same for GP visits to crack down on the people using it for socialising. Maybe 10 free visits a year, and then charges.

$800 for an ambulance ride? God, but the American system is comically awful :p. How the hell did you end up with a population meek enough to allow that sort of nonsense?

Ask Croak. That’s what he wants to turn Britain into.