Usa v uk

In the UK after the Second World War the government had really good social ideals, and wanted to make sure that everyone, especially all the soldiers who had given so much to the nation, was well cared-for. They decided to organise a National Health Service which was free. Of course the people had to pay more in tax to support it, but it was generally thought to be a fair way of making sure basic care was given to everyone.

So in the UK we still pay higher taxes than in the USA - this pays for our own healthcare and for the healthcare of poorer people in our country, too. I think that’s great. However, in the USA and most other countries, you buy health insurance but pay lower taxes. Perhaps it comes to the same amount of money for most people, anyway.

With your health insurance, most of your medical bills get paid for you anyway. The difference comes for the poorest people, who can’t afford the health insurance, or can’t even afford to pay a bill that would later get paid back by the government. In France, where I live now, that’s the biggest problem. Poor people would get paid back, but they can’t afford to go to the doctor in the first place.

But, health care in France, and I think the US, is often better than in the UK. After WW2, the UK government imagined health care would mean broken bones, eye tests, having babies, dying of cancer etc. The plans they made never included heart transplants, fertility treatments etc! The National Health Service cannot cope with all the expensive medical care people need nowadays, and so, even though I believe it’s right, I think it needs more changes before it becomes a world-class health care system again. My mum is in hospital in Scotland at the moment so I’m learning first-hand what it’s like right now.