Originally posted by sh76
Well, I'm glad you had a good experience with the NHS and I have no wish to criticize the NHS, but your slur on the American system is just plain inaccurate. First, hospitals are not allowed to deny life saving treatment to anyone based on inability to pay. While it's true that had you no insurance, the procedure may have bankrupted you, the more likely scenari ...[text shortened]... in my life personally known anyone that was denied a life saving treatment of any kind.
In Ireland more and more people are turning away from private health insurance
for 2 reasons.
1. It is so expensive......and
2. It does not cover all that you would like it to cover.
Many people here have been ripped off by private health insurance companies
like the VHI and BUPA and others paying lots of money to them every year only
to find that when a problem does arise, the Insurance company tries to deny
liability and cover for that particular problem.
More and more people are getting sick of it and are now turning back in huge
numbers to public healthcare. It's not perfect, it takes a long time due to
waiting lists. But if you are prepared to wait then you are better off.
Private healthcare here in Ireland?
The only benefit is that you get seen to more quickly.