The BBC 'Panorama' programme did a report recently on the problems facing Obama in the future including the reform of the healthcare system.

They filmed a British medical charity,who normally provide doctors,nurses and dentists to the third world, instead giving free treatment to hundreds of people who had travelled long distances and waited in the cold for hours, in what looked like a large football stadium in Kentucky.

BBC - Panorama - What Now, Mr President?

I thought this might have been a one-off treatment event for the cameras, but it seems this charity spends 60% of its time going all over the US providing free healthcare to those who cant afford it. This is a report on a another temporary one day clinic in Tennessee, where people had been waiting in the damp weather since daybreak in order to get treatment.

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Medical charity helping US poor

The Huffington Post did a review of the BBC programme.

John Tepper Marlin: BBC Show on U.S. Health Care Unavailable in USA

People in the US cant normally acess recordings of previous BBC programmes, but due to the requests from US citizens to see the programme, they have created a site that US citizens can see the half hour programme. This site is only available for the next 3 weeks at the moment.

Its an eye opener.

BBC NEWS | PANORAMA | Web team blog
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This makes me feel like an elitist. I have no income (retired); but am able to get health insurance. I seldom go to a doctor; maybe every 10 years. So, I got a policy with $5000 deductible. Still, it about $200 per month; and it goes up every 4 months. I just need it for catastrophic events.

Thanks for your post Liverock. I'm glad I got to see the program and pass it on to my friends. I always give to charities and do charitable causes in my community. This makes me feel better now.

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- Jim

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving." - Albert Einstein

Great find Liverock. Maybe this is part of the reason the masses are not rising up regarding healthcare. If socialized medicine were so terrible then I think the UK charities would not have time for this service..

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The National Health Service in the UK is not all a bunch of roses and the BBC regularly runs programmes pointing out the faults, but at least the NHS is not bossed around by the drug companies and they refuse to pay exorbitant prices for drugs which infuriates the drug companies.

Because it is free, it is regularly abused by people who go to the doctor for treatment when an OTC product from the drug store is all that is required and some people fail to turn up for appointments. Because of these misuses of the system the government is considering enforcing a nominal sum (say $10) for each appointment.

The dental service used to be very good and you could always get acess to a NHS dentist until the goverment tried to implement a new scheme which reduced their wages and 50% of them promptly retired from the NHS and converted to private practice which meant NHS dentists became hard to find.

With people living longer and the increase in the number and cost of drugs now being used the future of the NHS as a totally free service is in doubt IMO. I think there will be eventually be a mixture of a part free and part payment scheme similar to the schemes in France and Germany.

The problem with heal care reform, is that there is no ONE perfect solution, there is always going to be a group of people who are pissed off and dont like somthing about it. I dont see anyway out for any of us unfortunatly.

I agree, it's mind boggling.

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It should be called by its real name, which is socialized medicine. It is not free health care by any stretch of the imagination.

Dan

Thanks for posting this, liverock. Sad but true it seems. However, watch the
results of the Mass elections at the end of today. A Republican win will tell us
that health care reform is not a popular subject.

I think it is a popular subject, but the solution that has been offered up is too radical and expensive.

Dan

Massachusetts folks already have a very high tax rate. Probably the highest in the nation. It will be interesting to listen to the talking heads about Mass becoming a Republican State; or if this is an anomaly. Why didn't the governor appoint someone to replace the seat? I thought that was the normal.

We have a lot of socialization in our government D Bergy. Including child education, social security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other gov insurance programs. I'd rather pay for those things to help our citizens, than bombs and equipment for the wars. I have no problem for defense stuff though.