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Of course nobody wants to get sick, but for citizens of countries
like Great Britain, who are all guaranteed healthcare under the
National Health Service (NHS,) financial worries are virtually
nonexistent.
When my family visited England several years ago, we went to
a local doctor after my brother had a severe asthma attack. Once
the doctor got his asthma under control, she made recommendations
for treating him the following spring to control his allergies,
trying to prevent another bad attack. The doctor spent almost
an hour with my brother before discussing my parents' ability
to pay.
The NHS was formed shortly after World War II in hopes of unifying
the country. The principle that free healthcare for everyone -
rich and poor - is a natural right was the foundation upon which
the NHS was built and continues to fuel its goals.
While some skeptics say that patients in Britain need to wait
a long time for treatment and that hospital conditions within
a free health care system are mediocre, I found the NHS-run facility
quite impressive.
Doctors are paid well and are rewarded for such things as getting
a patient to quit smoking or reducing their high blood pressure,
instead of earning more by denying a patient care and saving insurance
companies money, which often happens here.
One of the NHS's key points of success is its focus on preventive
care-like the asthma care my brother received. Besides being good
medicine, this translates into good economics.
England spends about $200 billion per year in total healthcare
costs, but, according to a 2003 report by the Institute of Medicine
of the National Academies, entitled "Hidden Costs, Values
Lost: Uninsurance in America," the U.S. spends nearly $100
billion every year just to provide uninsured residents with health
services, often for preventable diseases or diseases that doctors
could treat more efficiently with earlier diagnosis.
If insurance companies were more focused on preventing illnesses
from escalating, and less focused on saving money by denying claims,
there could be less sick people-and less sick people who are also
in debt.
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For
almost 47 million people in the United States who lack health
insurance, this question is in desperate need of an answer. Even
for those covered by insurance, the many flaws and injustices
within our health system present serious problems.
After H1N1-related school closures in the last flu season, local schools have lowered the severity of their response and are focusing on preventative action that does not interrupt education.
