It is about as unbiased a collection of stories as I've seen. It is biased in that it approaches the conversation from the point of view that Americans are unhappy with their own system...a bias I share.
read it and see if you consider it fair and balanced and if you think it adds to your understanding of the issue.
here are the program's results for the United Kingdom:
UNITED KINGDOM
Quote:
Percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) spent on health care: 8.3
Average family premium: None; funded by taxation.
Co-payments: None for most services; some co-pays for dental care, eyeglasses and 5 percent of prescriptions. Young people and the elderly are exempt from all drug co-pays.
What is it? The British system is "socialized medicine" because the government both provides and pays for health care. Britons pay taxes for health care, and the government-run National Health Service (NHS) distributes those funds to health care providers. Hospital doctors are paid salaries. General practitioners (GPs), who run private practices, are paid based on the number of patients they see. A small number of specialists work outside the NHS and see private-pay patients.
How does it work? Because the system is funded through taxes, administrative costs are low; there are no bills to collect or claims to review. Patients have a "medical home" in their GP, who also serves as a gatekeeper to the rest of the system; patients must see their GP before going to a specialist. GPs, who are paid extra for keeping their patients healthy, are instrumental in preventive care, an area in which Britain is a world leader.
What are the concerns? The stereotype of socialized medicine -- long waits and limited choice -- still has some truth. In response, the British government has instituted reforms to help make care more competitive and give patients more choice. Hospitals now compete for NHS funds distributed by local Primary Care Trusts, and starting in April 2008 patients are able to choose where they want to be treated for many procedures.
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interview with Nigel Hawkes who ...is health editor for The Times of London and a longtime observer of Britain's National Health Service (NHS), a government-run service that covers everyone's health care and is paid for out of tax revenue. Here Hawkes discusses the NHS's advantages and shortcomings, and recent initiatives to bring some market efficiencies into the 60-year-old socialized system. This is an edited transcript of an interview conducted Nov. 1, 2007.