Free membership for Tony Blair~

[news.bbc.co.uk]

This BBC article says Tony's problem was an electrical problem in the atria. If it looks like a dog, and barks like a dog and smells like a dog, it probably is a dog!

I'll chip in to buy Tony a free membership here. He needs to be educated. Who else is in?

Yep,

It's electrical, it's in the atria, it's a SVT, it's fast, it's IRREGULAR............. sure sounds like a DOG to me John! Still, gotta avoid the nasty (A)F word eh....

Mike F.

From my point of view Tony should be doing a lot more about the state of the NHS. Instead of fudging figures and allowing Trusts to turn health care into big business and statistics.....(my 21 year old son has had a severe ear infection for the last 4 days - which is a continuation of his glue ear he has had all his life. His Dr can't fit him in for an antibiotic for 3 weeks!!). This is the governments fault. I think Tony gets far too many freebies. When you are that high up the ladder everyone wants to GIVE. I reckon its time for him to give something back and spend more time thinking about the real people who can't make ends meet or get an appointment with a Dr in less than a week. Never mind the ones that are dying on the waiting lists. Its a give and take world so once he gives he can have as much as he needs.

Sorry, but the man scares me - not that I wish AF on anyone.

Fran, I agree with you, why is it always the rich and powerfull that gets the freebies, I would rather chip in to someone who can not afford a subscription.

Ella

Hi Fran and All,

How’s this for bureaucratic bull dust. The Aussie govt. made me apply for a UK pension, which I suppose is fair enough, as I have only been over here 42 years! The UK rep is as far south as you can get it-in Tasmania! I think they should have put it in the South Poll! Anyway it only took two years to assess me. And now I can retire on 18 p a week, yes eighteen! I get paid once a year about A$25, and I get exchange rate info every three months incase I want to query it. How’s that for “jobs for the boys”? Blows your mind. A.

Keep smiling, David S vlaf, 66 yy

I wonder how many thousands of pounds it took to process your claim? As my husband says - the lunatics have taken over the assylum. I hope you have something else to tide you over.

Fran

Hello David! The sad news is that your pension of 18pence will not be upgraded with inflation because you live in Australia. I know you will be devastated! Perhaps you should move to USA where it would be upgraded every year! Rod - Tasmania

My bet is that we will hear no more about this even if he develops AF. Polititians do not like the public knowing about health problems for obvious reasons. Rod

Bill Bradley, the former senator who kind of ran for president in the US last time, is an afibber. They definitely downplayed it, but he has it. By the way, is Tony Blair tallish and reasonably fit? Those are fairly common characteristics for us male afibbers it seems. Don't know about all you brits and aussies, but it seems to fit a bunch of us yanks.

Fran:

When did the UK get the socialistic health care system? It has been in existence as I recall since the 1960s, we get administrations that want to have similar type of health care. Ours isn't perfect but much better than what you describe.

We shouldn't say anything about polictical figures, but, I have to say we in the states think highly of TB.

Liz Vagal

Liz --- don't know how much better our system is when approx.44 million people are uninsured. Unfortunately the U.S. system works very well for the folks with good insurance coverage but miserably for the poor and/or unemployed, also places a huge financial burden on many seniors who have high prescription costs that they are paying for out of pocket. Hopefully changes are in the works.

I wonder how many women afibbers are tall and fit too. Is there a body type - ectomorph - involved here?

Carol

I don't know how tall Tony is but he is lean and healthy. I am tall and healthy aswell - maybe not just a male thing.


Liz

The NHS, Health care in UK, was set up after the second world war. Everyone pays a contribution through National Insurance. This is taken direct from your salary, seperate from tax, so you never see it - unless you are self employed. Between us we pay about £35 a week NI. It is earnings related. And in theory means that when you get sick your treatment is covered. So in theory it is a very good way. Unfortunately, many people have payed this stamp for 40 and 50 years and are now getting substandard health care. Others like myself have payed it 23 years and can't get to see a specialist within a year, nor get access to the best treatment. To subsidise health care and other things we have so many stealth taxes too. We pay tax on everything.

Many new treatments and pills are not available on the NHS. We also have post code lotteries - which means that certain health areas will/can not prescribe new drugs eg interferon, the new alzheimers and RA drugs etc. So many people are forced to go private. And have to pay twice for their health care. Lots of people just can't afford it and have to watch their neighbours, in some instances, get the treatment they need, but are not allowed themselves because of red tape.

Where the NHS comes into its own is when you have an accident, or drop with a heart attack - if there is a free ambulance. They are brilliant then. But then there are problems once out of casualty as to whether there is a free bed. Some of our hospitals have ward upon ward closed - due to staff shortages and lack of Drs. The last thing you need in the UK is long term health problems.

All agree the NHS is on its last legs. The problem is how to change it - and what about all the people who have payed in all their lives and not reaped any benefit.....

Some have nothing but praise for our health care. Maybe my family and friends have been unfortunate. My experience has been negligence and one blunder after another - with no-one taking accountability. Which is probably the root of my cynicism.

Fran

Funny but Fran's summary of the NHS service sounds like the problems many here in the U.S. have with many of the for-profit Health Maintenance Organizations that have the bulk of the health care business now.

Fran's summary of the NHS was very fair. The emergency service is pretty good, but all too many in-patients develop life-threatening infections. I waited over a year to see a cardio specialist. I got a written apology but still didn't see the consultant: only an assistant.

One thing is certain. Tony Blair won't have experienced the NHS that the rest of us see.

Fran and Mary:

In theory, Fran, you are right your system sounds good. I still say even though our Health care system is flawed and also needs revamping we still have pretty decent health care, hospitals to my knowledge, can not turn sick people away.

It used to be that the corporation one worked for paid all of their employees' health care insurance, that changed about the last ten years and employees now contribute to their own health care. I believe people should contribute to their own health care, they should be more responsible for their health.

Employees contribute to a national Insurance (medicare) which is then available when one retires (usually 65 years of age). We have that plus another health insurance which we pay monthly, we pay a total of close to $700/month for health insurance. We still have to pay a certain percent for any meds. We are fortunate in that we are able to afford our insurances.

The very poor in our country without any assets actually fare quite well, their medical bills are taken care of by Medicaid.

Liz

Liz --- Medicaid does not cover the working poor or all those others who have lost their coverage through job loss but still have family resources and cannot afford to pay for insurance out of pocket. Many doctors and clinics will not even see patients who have Medicare or Medicaid coverage. If you are not in a life-threatening situation, the hospitals will not take you in without insurance. So how do you get routine medical treatment? You don't, as the 44 million uninsured will attest. Incidentally, the majority of that 44 million are not down-and-outs, but people who have lost jobs and are doing hourly-paid work without benefits. Their kids go without coverage too.

As someone who recently wrote to Tony Blair about his newly-discovered condition (I'll let you know if he responds) I would want to put in a defense for our NHS system in the UK. I pay the sum of 90 GBP per year (about 140 USD) for ALL my medications (Flec, losec, statins, even aspirin) I have a friend in Ireland who pays that PER MONTH for stains alone!

I have another frined who was born in Philly, lived in Spain and almost died (twice) in a UK hospital before they fixed his Myasthenia Gravis through a free operation - he will not leave the UK for the rest of his life, and it's largely because of the free health care.

The hospitals are over crowded and sometimes depressing. But I pay 4 dollars a month for national insurance, and every time I see my cardiologist he offers me an ablation (again free) when I feel I need it (I keep turning him down).

It is far from perfect. It varies according to where you live. But it doesn't depend upon how much you earn.

It does with us. Otherwise how can you explain that with changes of salary differing amounts are taken off. And of course those who are not able to work, or are unemployed get it free.

Fran