I hate healthcare with all my might out pocket expenses are killing me

originally posted by: Subaeruginosa
I don't know, 100,000 British pounds sounds like a pretty decent salary for a GP just doing the bare minimum... sitting in an office for a few hours a day writing prescriptions and telling people to drink plenty of water.

Mine does much more than that and I hope he doesn't make a crap salary like that.

a reply to: dug88

If you're making a buck thirty as a doctor you need to find a better job.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus
Those 70k doctors must be out sucking some # for change to make up for their abysmal poverty then I'm guessing?

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Most GP's also do consultancy work to boost their income.
In addition they can become Partner's in Practices and earn far more than the salaries already listed.

I'd be amazed if they didn't have additional sources of income as well.

As you know the cost of living here in the UK is quite a bit lower than the US - amazingly living in London is cheaper than living in somewhere like New York - and we have even more benefits like our wonderful weather.

And of course there are always the pubs!

originally posted by: dug88
Those 70k doctors must be out sucking some # for change to make up for their abysmal poverty then I'm guessing?

You should ask them.

originally posted by: Freeborn
As you know the cost of living here in the UK is quite a bit lower than the US - amazingly living in London is cheaper than living in somewhere like New York - and we have even more benefits like our wonderful weather.

When we were there we were looking at real-estate for comparison purposes and it's just as expensive as New York. Some things were cheaper, the European-produced commodities being the obvious ones, but things like gas are stupid expensive, and VAT tax adds a premium to many items I can get here cheaper.

a reply to: shooterbrody

I heard awhile back that the revenues being brought into the healthcare providers in my area consisted of something like 75% paid by govt programs.
So, considering that the right dont seem to like those govt programs my question would be...
How long would these doctors and such last with just 25% of so of their customer base?
For most companies and industries, unless they are specialized to cater to the higher incomes, pricing your products at a cost that eliminates that big of a section of the population would be suicide. But when the govt steps in to help provide the basic needs for the poor, that removes much of the restraint on pricing. It's no longer how much can your customer afford but how much an insurance company or the govt can afford. And, when the govt can no longer afford...
It all comes crashing down.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

You confused me for a moment - not that hard.

Gas:

a substance or matter in a state in which it will expand freely to fill the whole of a container, having no fixed shape (unlike a solid) and no fixed volume (unlike a liquid).

Comparatively petrol is ridiculously expensive over here....and I'm not sure as to the reasons behind that.

Property in London is very expensive.....pretty much the same as places like Los Angeles and New York I'd guess.

Although I've never been many friends have and they tell me New York is more expensive than London.
I don't doubt for one minute your take on things, maybe we just want to buy different things?

But our beer and pubs are far superior.....and cheaper!

a reply to: dawnstar

I heard awhile back that the revenues being brought into the healthcare providers in my area consisted of something like 75% paid by govt programs.

perhaps the government programs are the problem?
imo the govt should in no way get in between the doctor and patient

how often I have bloodwork done is not the business of the govt

www.okheart.com...

not all of our medical professional put the dollar first

originally posted by: shooterbrody
a reply to: dawnstar


perhaps the government programs are the problem?
imo the govt should in no way get in between the doctor and patient

how often I have bloodwork done is not the business of the govt

www.okheart.com...

not all of our medical professional put the dollar first

Ya, that might have been a good thought about 30 or 40 years ago, before the govt let, maybe assisted, the healthcare providers and insurance companies to just keep rising the costs of the healthcare to the point where it became so danged unaffordable but it does nothing to address the current situation.
And, does that little health clinic you posted a link to provide you with 100+ a month medicines or operate to set broken ankles with pins and titanium plates when needed?
And, how many families are getting financially wiped out who wouldn't be able to qualify for any kind of break that that clinic might provide to the "poor"? I'll give you a hint, that broken ankle I mentioned cost more than I could earn in a year and that doesnt include the money spent trying to get a diagnosis for the original problem or the physical therapy that I should have gotten except the hospital bill scared me away.
So, when you say you want the govt shouldn't be involved with healthcare, does that include the kids of single moms working near minimum wage jobs or no job at all? Because hey, we were getting hit with higher taxes coming from every which way it seemed to ensure funding for the medicaid that was paying for the healthcare for the "poor" while the doctor was demanding an insane down payment to set that ankle and the insurance companies that had contracts connected to medicaid and child health plus was giving their CEOs and upper management real nice bonuses and raises while increasing their premiums more.

The problem isnt really as much as the govt helping the poor as it is the greed of those who have set themselves up between that govt money and the people it was meant to help. I mean, if the govt is just gonna keep opening up these programs to bigger and bigger groups of people with higher and higher incomes then why not keep taking a bigger and bigger portion of the pot for you and your buddies at the top of the pyramid? It's not like you have any natural free market pressure to keep the cost to your clients and customers within reason.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Hecate666
Our GP's salary here in the couyntrysde is £85K a year. In London it's over £100K, any more and it will be greed.

Pretty pathetic salary for a doctor.

Really It's more than the Prime Minister gets in some regions. My point being they are getting paid plenty. Any more is greed. I do not condone greed, especially not in the health service.
I answered the person who believed wrongly that nobody gets paid in a free healthcare society and I proved them wrong. You are just derailing with personal preferences.
Why should a GP get more money?
It's plenty, if you love helping people. If you don't and you are in for the money, you shouldn't be a health worker because everything you do will be measured by how much money you'll get out of it.

Being a doctor used to be a calling. You do know what that means right? Some used to do this for free because they cared.
Personally I think they are getting enough. Considering that footballers get that per week and not per month.

a reply to: dawnstar

Ya, that might have been a good thought about 30 or 40 years ago

keeping the govt out of healthcare is a great idea no matter the time imo

And, does that little health clinic you posted a link to provide you with 100+ a month medicines or operate to set broken ankles with pins and titanium plates when needed?

guess you couldn't be bothered to click the link
why then would I be bothered to answer your lazy question
funny, even when the "greedy" doctors donate their time you still have issues....who is really the greedy one?
what is enough for you?
why should we pay doctors at all?
for that matter why should we pay anyone?

I'll give you a hint, that broken ankle I mentioned cost more than I could earn in a year and that doesnt include the money spent trying to get a diagnosis for the original problem or the physical therapy that I should have gotten except the hospital bill scared me away.

so your poor life choices are everyone elses fault?
perhaps you should have taken the opportunity to have gotten a better education and a better job
nope, you just whine about how much your bill is
bet you whine about the electric bill, cable bill, water bill, and gas bill the same way?
those should be free too?

So, when you say you want the govt shouldn't be involved with healthcare, does that include the kids of single moms working near minimum wage jobs or no job at all?

the fact that you are at me and not at the single moms for their situation speaks volumes to your actual position
the single moms poor life choices are not my fault
there are many programs to help them obtain education and assistance, even tho they made poor life choices

it appears to me you simply have swallowed the class warfare haterade
there is still ALOT of opportunity in our nation, you should take advantage of such

originally posted by: Freeborn
But our beer and pubs are far superior.....and cheaper!

Pubs, yes, I really like English pub culture. If you take the time in the US to go to a local brewery I find the beer is just as good as what I get in Europe.

a reply to: shooterbrody

Ya, it was poor life choices....
And, I did click on the link...
A clinic offering specialized coronary care. No mention of help with the drugs used to treat people with developing coronary care and I highly doubt that they doing open heart surgery in their little clinic. Sounded more like diagnostic procedures really. Hey joe, sorry to say we detected a sign that you are heading for a heart attack. Here's a prescription for a $150/mo drug that might delay it... but since joe cant fit that into his budget that heart attack will come sooner since now he is stressing out and fretting about it.
I really ain't trying to knock that free health clinic or any other. Just dont try to tell me that you can get the same kind of healthcare the govt is using Joe's money to provide people with who are "poor".
I am not really knocking the doctors and nurses who now have a bunch of parasites between them and their patients... dictating the care they provide and sucking in most of the profits.

I imagine I dont need to tell you what you can do with you "poor life choices" bs as well as this stupid, unfair, unconstitutional healthcare system..

originally posted by: Hecate666
Really It's more than the Prime Minister gets in some regions. My point being they are getting paid plenty. Any more is greed.

Then you'll think I'm really effing greedy. If you told me I could be a GP for that I'd tell you to keep your offer and your salary.

Everyone should be able to make as much as they can, anything else is rampant communism.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: dug88

If you're making a buck thirty as a doctor you need to find a better job.

That is a good wage in the UK. We have a much lower cost of living than the US. We get taxed less for purchases and we don't pay for a lot of the services you do in the US.

As a guide my top line is about £76'000 pa (55k wages and 21k military pension) and I own a good spec 4 bedroom home outright, take 2 sunshine holidays a year (I did a week in Santorini and a 2 week Mediterranean cruise last year), have a good social life and have enough left over to save £1000 per month.

You can live a very comfortable life in the UK for £130'000 pa. As has been said, doctors typically do private work out of hours and make good money for this on top of NHS wages.

originally posted by: PaddyInf
You can live a very comfortable life in the UK for £130'000 pa. As has been said, doctors typically do private work out of hours and make good money for this on top of NHS wages.

To general, and certainly not in London. It's as expensive, if not more so, than New York.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Hecate666
Really It's more than the Prime Minister gets in some regions. My point being they are getting paid plenty. Any more is greed.

Then you'll think I'm really effing greedy. If you told me I could be a GP for that I'd tell you to keep your offer and your salary.

Everyone should be able to make as much as they can, anything else is rampant communism.

I don't know how it works in the UK, but here in Australia we have both private and bulk billing general practitioners. The private doctors can charge whatever they want, I suppose... But bulk billing doctors don't charge the patient anything and then claim the cost of there services afterwards from medicare.

The going rate medicare currently pays for a general consultation is $36.30... So that essentially means a bulk billing GP can potentially make from $217 to $435 an hour... not exactly slave wages by any standards.

a reply to: Subaeruginosa

That's significantly higher than your impoverished pommy brethren.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: Subaeruginosa

That's significantly higher than your impoverished pommy brethren.

lol...

Honestly though, I think the majority of these statistics on the internet about average incomes and whatnot are complete BS... I don't know where they come from or how there calculated, but they are BS all the same.

For example, if I looked up median household income in Australia, it tells me I'm well above average... but in reality, there's no chance whatsoever I as a single bloke with no children, living in a small apartment and just scraping by, is making more than the majority of all those families I'm surrounded by, with there brand new cars, big houses and yearly overseas holidays.

Point being, I'm sure most of these doctors are far better off than these so called (BS) 'statistics' claim.