Peter1469
04-04-2019, 09:24 AM
The British version of Medicare for all is collapsing (https://www.forbes.com/sites/sallypipes/2019/04/01/britains-version-of-medicare-for-all-is-collapsing/#3a8b2db636b8) - and many Dems want to bring an even more expansive version of single payer health care here.
Nearly a quarter of a million British patients (https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/nhs-stats-march-2019/)have been waiting more than six months to receive planned medical treatment from the National Health Service, according to a recent report from the Royal College of Surgeons. More than 36,000 have been in treatment queues (https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/nhs-stats-march-2019/) for nine months or more.
Long waits for care are endemic to government-run, single-payer systems like the NHS. Yet some U.S. lawmakers want to import that model from across the pond. That would be a massive blunder.
Consider how long it takes to get care (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6839963/A-E-patients-waiting-longer-four-hours-Englands-worst-performing-casualty.html) at the emergency room in Britain. Government data show that hospitals in England only saw 84.2% of patients within four hours (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/Statistical-commentary-Feb-2019.pdf) in February. That's well below the country's goal of treating 95% of patients within four hours (https://www.hsj.co.uk/quality-and-performance/aande-performance-hits-lowest-level-/7024435.article) -- a target the NHS hasn't hit since 2015 (https://inews.co.uk/news/health/accident-emergency-waiting-times-nhs-england-record-high/).
Now, instead of cutting wait times, the NHS is looking to scrap the goal (https://inews.co.uk/nhs/four-hour-nhs-accident-emergency-waiting-time-target-scrapped/).
Wait times for cancer treatment -- where timeliness can be a matter of life and death -- are also far too lengthy (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6808659/NHS-urgent-action-clear-hospitals-backlog.html). According to January NHS England data, almost 25% (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/Cancer-Waiting-Times-Press-Release-January-2019-Provider-Based-Provisional.pdf) of cancer patients didn't start treatment on time despite an urgent referral by their primary care doctor. That's the worst performance since records began in 2009 (https://starspost.com/lives-at-risk-as-cancer-patients-face-longest-nhs-waits-on-record-for-treatment-experts-warn/).
And keep in mind that "on time" for the NHS is already 62 days after referral (https://starspost.com/lives-at-risk-as-cancer-patients-face-longest-nhs-waits-on-record-for-treatment-experts-warn/).
Unsurprisingly, British cancer patients fare worse than those in the United States. Only 81% of breast cancer patients (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/concord-2.htm) in the United Kingdom live at least five years after diagnosis, compared to 89% in the United States (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/concord-2.htm). Just 83% of patients (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/concord-2.htm) in the United Kingdom live five years after a prostate cancer diagnosis, versus 97% here in America (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/concord-2.htm).
Read the rest of the article at the link.
Nearly a quarter of a million British patients (https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/nhs-stats-march-2019/)have been waiting more than six months to receive planned medical treatment from the National Health Service, according to a recent report from the Royal College of Surgeons. More than 36,000 have been in treatment queues (https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/news-and-events/media-centre/press-releases/nhs-stats-march-2019/) for nine months or more.
Long waits for care are endemic to government-run, single-payer systems like the NHS. Yet some U.S. lawmakers want to import that model from across the pond. That would be a massive blunder.
Consider how long it takes to get care (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6839963/A-E-patients-waiting-longer-four-hours-Englands-worst-performing-casualty.html) at the emergency room in Britain. Government data show that hospitals in England only saw 84.2% of patients within four hours (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/Statistical-commentary-Feb-2019.pdf) in February. That's well below the country's goal of treating 95% of patients within four hours (https://www.hsj.co.uk/quality-and-performance/aande-performance-hits-lowest-level-/7024435.article) -- a target the NHS hasn't hit since 2015 (https://inews.co.uk/news/health/accident-emergency-waiting-times-nhs-england-record-high/).
Now, instead of cutting wait times, the NHS is looking to scrap the goal (https://inews.co.uk/nhs/four-hour-nhs-accident-emergency-waiting-time-target-scrapped/).
Wait times for cancer treatment -- where timeliness can be a matter of life and death -- are also far too lengthy (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6808659/NHS-urgent-action-clear-hospitals-backlog.html). According to January NHS England data, almost 25% (https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/03/Cancer-Waiting-Times-Press-Release-January-2019-Provider-Based-Provisional.pdf) of cancer patients didn't start treatment on time despite an urgent referral by their primary care doctor. That's the worst performance since records began in 2009 (https://starspost.com/lives-at-risk-as-cancer-patients-face-longest-nhs-waits-on-record-for-treatment-experts-warn/).
And keep in mind that "on time" for the NHS is already 62 days after referral (https://starspost.com/lives-at-risk-as-cancer-patients-face-longest-nhs-waits-on-record-for-treatment-experts-warn/).
Unsurprisingly, British cancer patients fare worse than those in the United States. Only 81% of breast cancer patients (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/concord-2.htm) in the United Kingdom live at least five years after diagnosis, compared to 89% in the United States (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/concord-2.htm). Just 83% of patients (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/concord-2.htm) in the United Kingdom live five years after a prostate cancer diagnosis, versus 97% here in America (https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/dcpc/research/articles/concord-2.htm).
Read the rest of the article at the link.