Is the value of one individual’s health worth more than another? Many have their arguments for why universal health care may be better than private sector health care. My sister Jamie was able to experience having universal health care after her family moved to the United Kingdom, where her husband was stationed on a remote military base.
The clinic on base was small and did not have anything beyond aid for a typical cold remedy. Jamie was in need of seeing a women’s health care specialist and had to look beyond what was offered on base. The military provided a list of nearby primary care facilities in the area that were under universal health care. Once she got a referral to see a specialist, she had to wait months just to have the initial check-up. There aren’t enough doctors in the community due to the lower pay scale universal health care offers doctors, which makes wait times much longer. In private sector care, doctors are able to make much more money compared to what universal health care offers.
Finally my sister was able to see the specialist. After the check-up, the specialist determined she would need tests done, which took another six months just to be scheduled for. She waited the six months and had the tests done, but because of the lack of funding, the facilities did not have many updated testing options to use, making it unclear what the initial problem Jamie had was. The specialist determined surgery was the best option regardless. Unfortunately the next available date to get into the operating room for surgery was over a year away. The specialist medicated her while they waited, but she her condition continued to worsen.
Jamie decided to take her health into her own hands and made some calls to some doctors in the States. She bought a plane ticket, flew to the U.S., and was assessed at her chosen facility within one day. Her testing results were provided within the week. After realizing she was starting to constantly bleed out, they planned surgery immediately. The doctor assessing her said that if she hadn’t have had the surgery then and there, she would have died.
Although she had a near fatal experience due to universal health care’s problems, she said that she isn’t completely against it. “Everybody is right, and everybody is wrong” Jamie said. “My son got very sick and had to be rushed to the hospital while we were in the UK. Universal health care covers minors 100 percent. No matter the situation. My son was taken care of quickly and efficiently. Children receive better care under universal than adults.”
Because she was an insured adult and there are more available doctors in the states, she was taken care of quickly. But the ongoing problem with private industry insurance states that if you or your family are uninsured, you either pay hundreds more or are not seen period. Not all employers offer insurance coverage and single adults have to pay more to be covered than a family. There are parts of universal and private sector health care that work, but there are definitely parts that do not.