Re: I've seen things you people wouldn't believe...

On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:47:46 GMT, Jette <bosslady@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

David V. Loewe, Jr wrote:
On Mon, 21 Apr 2008 17:08:27 GMT, Jette <bosslady@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
David Friedman wrote:
mike weber <fairportfan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 12:25:32 -0700, David Friedman
<ddfr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Jette <bosslady@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

eah, in the UK up till fairly recently dentists would only consider
braces for teeth for actual _problems_ such as badly misaligned teeth,
whereas in the US fixing purely cosmetic problems seemed to be more
accepted. Probably because in the UK our generation mostly got our
dentistry on the NHS who weren't too concerned with our vanity,
whereas in the US they have always had private dentists. When you're
paying for it you might as well go the whole hog and have teeth that
look as good as they work.

I don't follow the final part of that. If you have the choice between
straightening your teeth for cosmetic purposes or not doing so, I would
think the fact that you would have to pay for the straightening would
make you less likely to do so, not more.

If you're already paying, say, $500 for something, an additional $150
(made-up numbers having no known relevance to orthodonty) doesn't seem
as bad as, say, $300 to start for scratch on the extra.
$150 isn't as bad as $300. But Jette wrote "when you're paying for it,"
which seemed to imply that the alternative was not paying for it. In
your hypothetical, the alternative is paying even more for it.

Well, you guys seem to pay through the nose for it. In fact you seem
to pay through the nose for all your health related items. Even for
children - and braces are usually issued to children, who wouldn't be
charged for _remedial_ work in the UK. (cosmetic work, yes)

Doctors work for free in the UK? I think not. There Ain't No Such
Thing As A Free Lunch.

Of course not - they work for the NHS.

Then you are paying for them - just not out of pocket.

Most of them. Even the
doctors you'd see if you went private usually work for the NHS first,
then see private patients "in their spare time" - and if you need an
operation, you'll probably be operated on in a NHS hospital, but pay
for it. When you need drugs on a private prescription, you'll go to
the same pharmacy as you'd get your NHS prescription from, but pay
more for it.

Nobody would trust a doctor that the NHS wouldn't employ. (and they
all get their training in NHS hospitals)

The incision used in my operation was pioneered by a British surgeon.
My surgeon trained in Canada.

As for the comment that we "seem to pay through the nose for all your
health related items," I can only state that I've gotten more than a
$100,000 billable worth of medical care over the past year (likely
more than $175,000) and it has cost me directly (out of pocket) less
than $200. Now, starting in May, I pay $201 most months for cancer
related treatments (Medicaid), but the diabetes and HBP stuff (and, to
be fair, everything but the cancer care - Veteran's Administration) is
still free out of pocket to me.

All diabetic drugs are completely free to patients in the UK - and if
you have diabetes that is treated by drugs (either insulin for T1, or
the various drugs used to improve insulin production and use for T2
diabetics) then all other drugs are free too.

Same goes for some other lifelong chronic life-threatening conditions.

Arthritis isn't treated the same (chronic but not life threatening) -
but my various prescriptions cost me about the equivalent of $30 every
two to three months.
--
"What can you do when your dreams come true
And it's not quite like you planned?
What have you done to be losing the one
You held it so tight in your hand?"
Don Henley & Glenn Frey
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Ive seen things you people wouldnt believe...
    ... braces for teeth for actual _problems_ such as badly misaligned teeth, whereas in the US fixing purely cosmetic problems seemed to be more accepted. ... Probably because in the UK our generation mostly got our dentistry on the NHS who weren't too concerned with our vanity, whereas in the US they have always had private dentists. ... When you're paying for it you might as well go the whole hog and have teeth that look as good as they work. ... If you have the choice between straightening your teeth for cosmetic purposes or not doing so, I would think the fact that you would have to pay for the straightening would make you less likely to do so, not more. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.fandom)
  • Re: local nhs dentists
    ... to look after your teeth, pay for it, if you dont, dont pay for it. ... Seriously though, speak to some dentists, ask them why they have left the NHS, yes of course, hard cash comes into it, but it is more then that, the NHS pays not to badly. ... I have spoken to dentists about this, from senior consultants to private practice. ...
    (uk.local.cumbria)
  • Re: local nhs dentists
    ... I was trying to find an NHS plumber, ... to look after your teeth, pay for it, if you dont, dont pay for it. ... example would be fillings, metalic based fillings ...
    (uk.local.cumbria)
  • Re: Today
    ... What have you got against drugs? ... Why should the NHS have to pay for fixing it, ...
    (uk.rec.driving)
  • Re: Prescription drugs
    ... quite a few prescription only drugs are not ... that for years for a drug not available under the NHS. ... the extent I don't pay for the issue of the private prescription. ...
    (uk.legal)