Do doctors in UK not make bank? UK Olympic marathoner Phil Sesemann may give up being a doc to run marathons as a pro

US govt spends more per capita on health than any other country., despite a ridiculously expensive insurance system.

Have you ever made a post on this board and it not be related to race?

I take it you're not actually familiar with the UK medical system that you're commenting on. Yes, there's the NHS. But there's also a parallel private system. Just like in the U.S., if you have the money, you can choose to bypass waiting lists and access top specialists. The difference between the UK and the US isn't the ability of the rich to quickly access high-quality care; it's that everyone can access reasonable healthcare.

Yes. You’re right about the parallel private system. I had it mentioned in my comment above but took it out because it got a bit long. And the NHS contracts with the private side for various procedures to increase quality and speed up access.

Britain would be best served by upending how it funds health care from subsidizing the system, to subsidizing individuals to choose their care in the public or private sphere. A longer discussion for sure.

If by "accessible" you mean being able to get an appointment in a short time you've found a US health care system other than the one I'm using. The usual wait time is about four months and if something comes up and you need to reschedule that appointment you're probably not seeing anyone for another three months.

There was a summer many years ago when my youngest son needed a physical to be in his high school soccer team. It was scheduled for something like July 6 of that year. Something came up in June, there was an out of town trip he and I wanted to do that would have us away on July 6. It was a very routine physical exam. I thought we could just reschedule it for the next week or the one after that. Not quite. The next open date was in April of the next year.

But sure, get shot or have something that seems like it might be a heart attack and you will be seen very quickly.

A vast majority of Americans are extremely US-centric. It's a giant bubble of backwardness here. It's really embarrassing to admit but not something to sugar coat.

Vast majority don't support means tested healthcare.

Very few people in the UK have private health insurance, the doctors and nurses are all trained by the NHS and in most cases split their time between NHS and private work so the standard of healthcare is the same, the difference is the wards are comfier and you get a daily newspaper delivered.

This is similar to the NHS system to be honest. If you have an emergency, or get cancer, the NHS is top class.

If you have a minor condition like back pain or need a routine medical, expect to wait months.

Lol if you think people pay cash just for nicer offices and a newspaper. They pay for significantly expedited service.

If every place was like Chicago, the world would be prosperous. Chicago is a real economic engine with a GDP of $690 Billion. Thats larger than almost all European countries.

As someone above said, it depends what the issue is.

When I had acute appendicitis a few years ago my GP assessed me immediately, referred me straight to the surgical assesment unit at the nearest hospital, I had CT scan same day and op the next morning.

Fantastic speed and no bill to pay (yes I know I already pay for it in taxes)

On the flip side my dad's had generic back pain for years and it takes months to get the next appointment and then next referral.

Very far from a perfect system and the Tories have run it into the ground. But for emergency care for emergency issues it's got you covered (in most cases).