Gotta love the British press....They call bullshit when they see it - this time on US Wingnuts

[marmar]

from the Guardian UK:



'Evil and Orwellian' – America's right turns its fire on NHS

Andrew Clark in New York
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 11 August 2009


The National Health Service has become the butt of increasingly outlandish political attacks:thumbsup: in the US as Republicans and conservative campaigners rail against Britain's "socialist" system as part of a tussle to defeat Barack Obama's proposals for broader government involvement in healthcare.

Top-ranking Republicans have joined bloggers and well-funded free market organisations in scorning the NHS for its waiting lists and for "rationing" the availability of expensive treatments.

As myths and half-truths circulate, British diplomats in the US are treading a delicate line in correcting falsehoods while trying to stay out of a vicious domestic dogfight over the future of American health policy.

Slickly produced television advertisements trumpet the alleged failures of the NHS's 61-year tradition of tax-funded healthcare. To the dismay of British healthcare professionals, US critics have accused the service of putting an "Orwellian" financial cap on the value on human life, of allowing elderly people to die untreated and, in one case, for driving a despairing dental patient to mend his teeth with superglue. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/11/nhs-united-states-republican-health

[babylonsister]

1. "vicious domestic dogfight" - that's about right. Rec'd. nt

[Curtland1015]

2. I'm a big fan of the Guardian. Articles like this are why.

GREAT paper... pretty good "futbol" coverage too.

[Blue_Tires]

16. +1

[BrklynLiberal]

3. On Countdown Keith was mentioning that The Business Weekly (?) had an

editorial claiming that if Steven Hawking had been under the UK Helath care system, he would not have surived since they owuld have deemed his disability so bad he was not worth saving.

As Keith pointed, Steven Hawking is a citizen of the UK, and has lived the last 45 years with ALS, UNDER THE BRITHS HELATH CARE SYSTEM!!!
He figured the RW idiots were confused since his computerized voice machine does not speak with a British accent....


Big fat "duh"!!!!!!!

[ThoughtCriminal]

4. Investors Business Daily

or "IBD" which is also known as "inflammatory bowel disease"

[BrklynLiberal]

5. Thanks. I could not remember that name....

:thumbsup: :hi:

[northzax]

6. But, to be fair

Stephen Hawking is also a multimillionaire who's care is paid for privately at this point. Which means, of course, you can get whatever care above and beyond the norm if you are willing and able to pay.

[BrklynLiberal]

10. Was he born rich..or did the UK Health care system help him to live long enough to get rich?

"The diagnosis of motor neuron disease came when Hawking was 21, shortly before his first marriage, and doctors said he would not survive more than two or three years. Hawking gradually lost the use of his arms, legs, and voice, and is now almost completely paralysed."


Wikipedia

[Berry Cool]

11. Hawking has also responded to this, saying he's received much NHS care

and given them all due credit for caring for him so well.

So he's on record--he has received NHS care and been happy with and grateful for it.

[northzax]

17. Indeed

And I didn't mean to imply otherwise. I can tell you though that most of his modern care is privately funded, NHS isn't providing multiple nurses for 24 hour outpatient care indefinately (neither does Medicare, of course, or any but excellent long term care insurance policies bought very young) Hawking's care now is no more representative of nhs than my grandfather having two live in nurses was representative of Medicare.

That said, I have an NHS card, from living in the uk as a kid and have used it. The system has flaws, as all systems do, but many fewer flaws than ours. Many. If Professor Hawking wasn't famous and rich, with the ability to raise money to pay for his care, he'd be in an institution. But better that than no care at all.

[CJCRANE]

18. True, but he was treated in an NHS hospital in April this year.

"However Professor Hawking- who as recently as April was treated in an NHS hospital.."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4011629

[Rex]

7. Oh brother, we yell about another countries health care...when we

have a system in America in place that says if you don't have any money - you can die too bad so sad. US critics don't have a leg to stand on, their health plan doesn't cover the surgery needed.

[defendandprotect]

8. k i c k

[flvegan]

9. Only TV news I actually watch is the BBC.

Okay, I watch Fox for my weather and sports. I know.

[Wednesdays]

12. K&R

:kick:

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. Sean Hannity telling the world up is down, again

On Rupert Murdoch's Fox News channel, the conservative commentator Sean Hannity recently alighted upon the case of Gordon Cook, a security manager from Merseyside, who used superglue to stick a loose crown into his gum because he was unable to find an NHS dentist. The cautionary tale, which was based on a Daily Mail report from 2006, prompted Hannity to warn his viewers: "If the Democrats have their way, get your superglue ready."

Yeah, the problem with the NHS dentistry system is that it doesn't pay the dentists a lot, so many dentists won't accept patients on it. So many people go private, either through insurance or just paying the bill directly. This guy's problem was that private dentistry is too expensive, and he didn't want to pay for it. His problem is an argument for more NHS care, not less. Hannit is such a lying dumbass.

Millions of adults have not seen an NHS dentist for almost two years because they cannot find a practice that will accept them, according to research.

The survey found 34% of people in England and Wales have not visited a dentist since April 2006.

Lack of access to the NHS was the most commonly cited reason, mentioned by 31% of those who have not been to an NHS dentist since that time, the poll for Citizens Advice found.

Of the 65% who had been to the dentist, 64% had been to an NHS practice and 31% had paid for private care.

The charity said the findings suggested 7.4 million people had tried and failed to see an NHS dentist, with about 4.7 million seeking private care instead and 2.7 million going without treatment altogether.

http://www.which.co.uk/news/2008/01/millions-havent-seen-dentist-for-two-years-129417.jsp

[Solly Mack]

14. K&R

[depakid]

15. What this shows is that unlike America- Britain's not a culture of lies

Factual accuracy still matters- the difference between Tabloids and actual news is still understood.

[Mark Baker]

19. If only that were true

I wouldn't believe the Daily Mail if it told me that 1+1=2.

I love the Graun; the Independent is trustworthy but dull; the Times and the Torygraph, though right-leaning, are generally reliable sources of news. But our tabloids are some of the worst in the world.

[depakid]

20. People seem to know the difference between tabloids and dependable news

on things that matter. Therein lies the difference. Same is true of Australia.

[BlueIdaho]

21. Loads of Brits weighing in here too...

http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23WeLoveTheNHS

[slipslidingaway]

22. knr nt