Why I Love Britain's Health Care System

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 22, 2009 10:01 AM CDT
Why I Love Britain's Health Care System
A sign outside one of London's major National Health Service hospitals, St Mary's in Paddington, is seen in London, Friday, Aug.14, 2009.   (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

US conservatives are doing their best to turn Britain’s National Health Service into a cautionary tale. Author Stephen Amidon was nervous as well when he moved to Britain; how good could free care be? But the birth of his first child taught him to love the system, he writes for Salon. The moment his newborn developed jaundice, senior doctors swept in with the latest technology. “Nobody asked about insurance or co-pays.”

The ward “was the most egalitarian place I had ever seen.” The rich and poor were treated exactly the same. “This, I learned, is what the NHS is about—common decency.” Britons believe they’re part of a society that provides certain necessities to its members, health care included. “Sure, people complained about the NHS. But the British complain about everything. Living without a public health system, on the other hand, was unthinkable.” (More National Health Service stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X