Health Care in the UK

In preparing to come here to London, it was advised, and even required of some of us, to get health insurance. Here in the United Kingdom it is hard to receive Health Care without some sort of insurance. One of my friends on this trip had to make the dreaded trip to the doctor and found that it is quite unaffordable for non citizens of the UK.
After the Second World War on July 5, 1948 the National Health Service or NHS was created. This provides the majority of health care for Englanders. The service included primary care, in-patient care, long term care, ophthalmology, and dentistry. All of this treatment is free for tax paying citizens, with the exception of fees for prescriptions, ophthalmology, and dentistry. In theory the NHS seems like a brilliant idea and the answer to post war health care problems. However, Britain’s system is noticeably flawed.
A common myth regarding the NHS is that it is one of Britain’s greatest accomplishments. In fact most countries view Britain’s health care system as one of the poorest in the world. A recent study in Lancet showed that England has one of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe. The study showed that the US has the best survival rate for women with cancer at 62.9 %; Britain is severely lagging with only a 52.7 survival rate. In men the gap widens even further with the US leading with a 66.3 survival rate and the UK with only a 44.8 % cancer survival rate. Along with poor cancer survival rates, one would not want to be a stroke or heart attack patient in the UK either.
Some may think that the solution to this problem would be to switch to a private health care system like the US in regard to the aforementioned cancer survival rates. Citizens of the UK can purchase private health insurance, but only about 8% choose to do this because of cost. The problem with this is that the US still spends 16 % per capita on nationally funded health care. Many politicians are looking toward a continental health care system as a solution.
There are some advantages, however, to Britain’s health care system in comparison with the US. Because the NHS has been in effect for over 50 years in the UK, citizens are more realistic about the limits of their health care. For this reason malpractice cases and specialty referrals are not as common. Primary care physicians in the US are under more pressure to refer patients than British doctors.
As a scientist and an aspiring physician, health care is an important part of my life, in regard to my health as well as my future. I find it difficult to live in the UK, as I’m sure any other country would be, and receive health care. As different as the systems are, I have found it interesting to live in a country and learn about their national health care system.