some things never change.

[crackers]

first of all .judy,that is a horrific story.i hope somebody can advise you on a couse of action.secondly,jack,i also saw the news report you talk about.it makes me so angry when people tell downright lies about the nhs for political gain.from birth to death you are guaranteed free healthcare when it's needed.let's not forget every working person pays a national insurance contribution from their pay which helps to fund the nhs.why have people got a problem with their tax dollar going towards helping people who need to stay alive but have no problem at all when it's used to bail out greedy banks and bankers.if they spent a fraction of what they spend on defence and spent it on healthcare the problem would be solved.the nhs isn't perfect,anyone from the uk will tell you that,but if anyone tried to take it away there would be rioting in the streets.let the people who are spouting these ridiculous lies come over here and repeat them and see what happens.somehow i don't think they will.i hope our american friends get a healthcare system that looks after them when they need it without checking paperwork first.i wish you luck.
john.

[crackers]

well since my last post the american healthcare issue has hit the headlines big style over here.all the tv news casts are showing a right wing MEP (member of european parliament) on fox news(surprise surprise)saying he wouldn't wish the nhs on anyone.his party leader has described him as "eccentric",i could think of a few more colourful adjectives to describe him.come the next elections i don't think he'll be an MEP anymore.
john.

[Sangye]

I agree with everything that's been said. Decades ago, Americans somehow got it in their heads that health care doesn't belong in the same category as schooling, police, fired, roads, libraries, etc.... Even though there are so many problems with our public school system, no one would think of ending it and forcing people to pay for school privately. Yet when it comes to health care, they think it's a privilege.

Whether people support health care reform or not, the bottom line is that millions of Americans have no insurance, millions are going bankrupt because of medical bills, businesses are being forced to stop offering health insurance to employees due to unaffordable premiums, and Medicare is going bankrupt. We're on the Titanic, and too many people are rearranging chairs.

[Sangye]

Judi, where do you live? Maybe I can help you.

[Jack]

Yes, the press have smelled a story and are cranking up the heat as usual, getting all us Brits hopping up and down in anger. But as usual, they are only reporting the extremes of opinion. I'm sure there are many with more considered views in the USA, but we don't get to hear them in the news.

I could say a lot more about the position of the political parties in this country, but I would be straying into territory that is banned on this Forum.

[judy]

sangye, im in virginia

[Sangye]

Judy, the first thing to do is contact the doctor who wrote the dx of Wegener's. You need to know if it was actually diagnosed and which criteria s/he used to make the diagnosis. Then you have to ask why this was never shared with you. What s/he says will affect how you proceed from there (concerning Wegs treatment).

Do you receive state medical assistance?

[Sangye]

I just read a great article on CNN.com about the British response to some Americans' criticism of the NHS. It was a wonderful article, and you can take comfort in knowing that 100% of the comments people left were very much pro-NHS. They came either from Brits or from Americans living in Britain, giving them credibility. Made my night.

[germaine]

I was away when I started to hear about the resistance to the health care plan. I never wanted to talk about the benefits I have received from medicare in Canada because I felt sorry for those of you that have to pay so much more. I have been able to regularly see three specialists, as needed, an ENT specialist, an opthamologist, and the internist. My GP didn't know what was wrong, and when I went back to a clinic, I got an Xray and urine test, but only after I went to emergency as my problems weren't going away was I sent to a ENT specialist. I went Saturday morning, saw the specialist Monday. He got the ANCA test done as he suspected the problem. Results back to him Thursday, he called me AFTER hours and left me a message to come to his office first thing in the morning, Oct 31, I saw the internist Nov 6th. (I could go on.) A blood test every week for months. For all of this, all I pay is $96.00 per month. My province charges a monthly fee to help defer some of the cost of medicare, Most of the other provinces don't charge anything. Here those who do not have adequate income get it prorated down according to income, or free if need be. People do complain about delays sometime, but generally I am extremely grateful for the coverage I have gotten. They are trying to organize it better as medicare does take up a lot of tax dollars, but NOBODY in Canada ever seems to suggest we don't want it. In fact if you are a politician and suggest doing away with it, you can be pretty sure you will NEVER get elected. We all love our health care. Everyone is insured Germaine

[germaine]

Hi Jolata, Why are you paying $680? My husband and I don't get any subsidy and we live in B. C. too. We pay $96.00 per month. Germaine