Revisiting the MVNHS©

It's been a while since we last looked in on Britain's Much Vaunted National Health Service©:

"A doctor said pressures at a Bangor hospital in January left staff in a "very deep hole"

But that was then, and this is, well:

"NHS must apologise for dismissing pelvic mesh and anti-epilepsy drug patients' suffering."

How's that?

When we as patients raise concern about our treatment with those providing it, it's only right that they at least consider what we're telling them. But apparently that's not how it works in one of the world's pre-eminent government-run health "care" systems:

"Since the review launched in 2018, more than 700 families from across the UK have given "harrowing details of their damaged lives ... fought for decades to "achieve acknowledgement" of their suffering."

Turns out, they've actually lost count of how many.

But hey: Free.

#Medicaid4All

[Hat Tip: Holly R]

MVNHS© Goes Bare

Not all heroes wear capes.

Or even clothes, for that matter:

"The British company MedFet, which describes itself as the "only online store 100% dedicated to medical fetish, kink, and roleplay," donated medical scrubs to a hospital to help its staff protect themselves from the virus while treating an influx of patients."

Here in the states, we're seeing company's like MyPillow making masks, and GM building ventilators, so this is definitely a bit ... er ... different.

Still, it speaks to the fallacy that nationalized, single-payer healthy "care" schemes are somehow better up to the daunting task than our admittedly flawed system.

#Medicaid4AllFail

Frozen out by the MVNHS©

That's COLD, even by Britain's Much Vaunted National Health Service© "standards:"

Sure, sure, but hey: Free!

BBC News - NHS winter pressures: Doctor says staff in 'very deep hole' https://t.co/LR8l8HpK1N

— Chad Savage, M.D. (@chadsavagemd) February 5, 2020

Sure, sure, but hey: Free!

#Medicaid4All

More #Winning from the MVNHS©

Three patients a day die from malnutrition, thirst or choking on NHS wards, official figures show.

You will not be successful I suing the federal government. #M4A @DeptVetAffairs #healthcare https://t.co/KDYgrlSFg3

— Dutch Rojas (@DutchRojas) January 17, 2020

But remember: Free!

#Medicaid4All

MVNHS© & Medicaid4All: A Study In Health "Care"

As we've long noted, when health care is a "right" bad things happen:

"Quebec’s health minister said Thursday he would sign a ministerial decree to block dentists from withdrawing from the public health system amid a bitter standoff over contract negotiations."

Here, of course, we have the 13th Amendment.

For now.

As we've also long noted, Britain's Much Vaunted National Health System© (which is based on that premise) continues to prove my conclusion true:

One of the worst nights in A&E

It’s not safe

It’s not fair

Not fair on patients

And it’s not fair on staff

Im so angry because this hasn’t ‘just happened’

Result of decisions by politicians, who ignored warnings

They need to take responsibility
Start taking this seriously pic.twitter.com/XCnclzNE9t

— Dr Sonia Adesara (@SoniaAdesara) December 7, 2019

And that, dear readers, is what awaits us with #Medicaid4All.

Waiting on the MVNHS©

And we do mean waiting:

[click to embiggen]

Thanks to our friends at the Association of American Physicians and Hospitals, we learn that north of four-and-a-half million Brits are on waiting lists. For those keeping score, that totals out to almost "7 percent of the entire British population."

Talk about a 7 percent solution...

And it's not just in hospitals:

Girl, 12, dies after waiting for an hour for an ambulance@JoeSilverman7 https://t.co/FfH2fUTkGx @MailOnline

— Christopher Gaska (@ChristopherTodd) November 23, 2019

#Medicaid4All

MVNHS© News

Courtesy FoIB Dino R:

"NHS waiting list hits another record high: 4.4million people are now waiting for routine operations as the figure is the worst ever for a third month in a row"

And for those right-brained among us:

 [click to embiggen]

But wait, there's more:

NHS 'abandoning' thousands by rationing hepatitis C drugs https://t.co/e25kltBgiA. @JoeSilverman7

— Jim Schneider (@vaoncsurgeon) November 4, 2019

But hey: Free!

#Medicaid4All

 

Imagine that: MVNHS© can't save a baby

On the other hand, at least this time the Much Vaunted National Health Service© isn't forbidding his parents from trying:

"The parents of a 10-month-old infant in the United Kingdom born with an extremely rare heart tumor plan to bring their son to the U.S. for surgery"

That's because Britain's government-run heatlh "care" scheme isn't capable of performing the surgery on the poor toddler. He'd been diagnosed with "a cardiac fibroma ... then fitted with a pacemaker" as a stopgap as his folks try to raise the necessary funds for a trip Across the Pond to "Boston Children’s Hospital for surgery, which is expected to cost $147,000."

Those so inclined can click here to help out.

#Medicaid4All

MVNHS@ News

Britain's Much Vaunted National Health Service© just can't seem to catch a break:

NHS hospital trusts to pay out further £55bn under PFI scheme.
Some are spending one-sixth of their entire budget on repaying debts from misguided Blair-era policy https://t.co/jxd8CdrFgr @zoesqwilliams @hilarypepper @paulmasonnews @george_gillett pic.twitter.com/YPvNwoUGQ1

— Peter Tatchell (@PeterTatchell) September 15, 2019

Well, that'll happen when you're diverting over 16% of your current budget to cover shortfalls that were baked into the cake 20 years ago.

And just what was that "secret ingredient?"

So glad you asked:

The "private finance initiative" is actually a fairly efficient mechanism when costs can be controlled:

"(PFI) is a way of financing public sector projects through the private sector. PFIs alleviate the government and taxpayers of the immediate burden of coming up with the capital for these projects."

Shorter: Kicking the can down the road.

Eventually, of course, all that money (plus interest) needs to be repaid, and if one hasn't been careful with cost control, well, that's the pickle in which the Brits now find themselves.

Lest we on this side of The Pond feel tempted to gloat, however, let's stop to consider the impact that MedicaidForAll is likely to have. After all, that's a perfect example of a PFI.

[Hat Tip: FoIB Holly R]

The MVNHS©, Explained

Succinct: 

[click to embiggen]

Long live the Much Vaunted National Health Service©.

(SWIDT?)

Bending that cost curve down: MVNHS©-style

Hard to beat this:

Well yes. A study of cataract surgery in the UK showed that delaying surgery at least a year resulted in many patients dying, becoming too sick or forgetting about it so the numbers of actual procedures were reduced. It is a form of self-rationing then allows access to others.

— kokomored (@kokomored1) August 22, 2019

 

The study found that patients "with poor eyesight are being forced to wait almost six months for operations ... Lengthening delays and the growing demand for cataract operations are forcing the NHS to send increasing numbers of patients to be treated privately."

But I thought the Much Vaunted National Health Service© was the 'ne plus ultra ' of government run health "care."

Hunh.

MVNHS© Digs Deeper (& The IRS Joins the Fray)

Into its citizens' DNA, that is. Via email from FoIB Holly R:

"Jan Meisels Allen, Chairperson of the IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee, reports that the UK National Health Service will offer five million Britons free DNA tests to help predict their risk of major diseases. Individuals will be able to volunteer to receive personalized reports based on the DNA analysis."

Oh, goody.

And who, exactly, will be privy to the results?

Well, let's look under the hood bonnet for a clue:

"The project is a £79 million government investment with an additional £160 million from charities and businesses to support research on early diagnosis, prevention and disease treatment." [emphasis added]

Gee, perhaps there's a clue there, Sherlock ans.

To be sure, there's this disclaimer:

"Ministers said the anonymised data"

Sure, if you say so. Still, as they say, "if you're not the customer, you're the product."

Britain's Much Vaunted National Health Service© continues to cover itself in glory.

Additional details here.

BONUS: In a coincidental(?) development, Holly also alerts us to breaking news on this side of the pond:

"The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has ruled the health portion of 23andMe’s ancestry and genetics test is tax deductible because it constitutes medical care. Of the $199 cost, up to $117.74 of the total cost is deductible."

Which means that they're also HSA- and FSA-eligible. Nice.

Interestingly, it appears that this applies only to that company:

"Of the dozens of genetic testing companies operating in the US, the Food and Drug Administration has given only 23andMe approval to inform customers directly (rather than through a health care provider)" of various markers it finds.

Hunh.

Tuesday LinkFest

■ Item #1:

"Medtronic recalls MiniMed insulin pumps as FDA warns about hacking risk"

This is a major issue with the whole Internet of Things phenom. The danger, of course, is not just the threat of ransomware 'per se,' but that actual lives could be put at risk.

#ScaryTech

■ Item #2:

We haven't heard from our friends at the MVNHS© lately, let's correct that, shall we:

"NHS beds crisis 'critical' as more sick Brits left stranded in hospital corridors last month than at the height of winter"

Which is even more alarming, in that the stated goal is to have no more than 85% of available beds occupied.

#GoodLuckWithThat

■ Item #3:

So-called "balance billing" (aka "surprise billing") is nothing new to regular readers:

"These hidden providers are like gunslingers in the wild west. They are not beholding to any rules and are free to charge whatever they want. If you don't pay they can ruin your credit and there is little you can do about it other than pay up."

The problem has only gotten worse over time, and there are all kinds of ideas being proposed to try to rein it in (including forcing out-of-network providers to accept in-network pricing). Some folks even think t should be illegal to engage in the practice.

But what about the other side of the coin?

Former Solicitor General Paul Clement makes the legal case for balance billing:

"The ability to refuse to accept an insurance plan is what gives doctors leverage when negotiating their rates ... [which] would likely violate the First Amendment's guaranteed freedom to assemble, as well as the Fifth Amendment's protection against government "takings"

#13A

'Miss'

Via FoIB Holly R, this latest from the rascals at the MVNHS©:

"Coroner demands NHS 111 changes after six-year-old Sebastian Hibberd's death "

And what, you may ask, is the context here?

Well:

"Sebastian Hibberd died after staff failed to spot warning signs that part of his bowel had collapsed."

After which he experienced cardiac arrest while, and sit down for this, he awaited medical attention.

You don't say?

But what could possibly have led to this tragic outcome?

Would you believe ... math?

"[C]all handlers were not being "adequately assisted" by the algorithm used to assess patients over the phone."

Those darned algorithms will get you every time.

Cannot wait for us to implement that here.

#Medicaid4All

MVNHS© Monday

Shot:

"In some cases, [UK physicians and surgeons] end up paying the NHS to work. Doctors respond to these perverse incentives the same way all rational actors do: by closing up shop." https://t.co/k7tWVxIfF8 HT @msingletonmdjd

— AssocAmerPhys&Surg (@AAPSonline) June 2, 2019

Chaser:

The UK is seeking to save their healthcare debacle by instituting a model similar to DPC. ⁦@TPPF⁩ ⁦@RightOnHC⁩ #free2care https://t.co/DLHLtTUe91

— David Balat (@DavidBalatHC) June 2, 2019

Hunh.

Healthcare Down Under

It's been almost 8 years since we last wrote about Oz's version of the MVNHS©:

"Australia's national health care system (which is called, interestingly enough, Medicare) seems to have a problem. Although "(p)rimary health care remains the responsibility of the federal government," said government isn't actually keen on providing it."

But that was then, and this is now:

Hunh:

Australian Single Payer encourages private buy-ups and wrap-arounds and those who can afford insurance get care 4x sooner than the folks that stay on the regular bog-standard government insurance.https://t.co/a4onUl9OUD

— Michael Bertaut (@MikeBertaut) April 15, 2019

By contrast, current Medicaid For All proposals all outlaw private plans.

One wonders why...

Thursday Newsbitz

■ Contra the MVNHS©:

NHS poised to drop 4-hour A&E treatment target via @FT https://t.co/YhFzC7ZZmE pic.twitter.com/qN1lRrJRQH

— Sally Pipes (@sallypipes) April 8, 2019

We last blogged on the Much Vaunted National Health Service©'s problems achieving its (apparently unattainable) goal back in '17:

"Nearly a quarter of patients waited longer than four hours at A&E last week with just one hospital hitting its target."

Now they've just thrown in the towel.

■ Contra the MSM:

Here in the States, meanwhile, we have a much prettier picture:

"leading medical journals report the U.S. has superior medical results; U.S. wait times are far shorter than for seriously ill patients in peer countries like Canada and the U.K."@TPPF @RightOnHC https://t.co/Hnba7FWYa9

— David Balat (@DavidBalatHC) April 8, 2019

And that's including the impact of ObamaCare.

■ Contra the Spinmeisters:

You may have read that a Canadian couple, faced with "outrageous" US medical care costs, elected to drive their beloved father back to Canada. Problem with that story is:

The guy had a massive heart attack and died.

Rather than notify authorities for proper transport of the deceased, the family decides to drive home.

Media spins it to blame health care costs. https://t.co/QcB1TBW4We

— Amy Curtis (@RantyAmyCurtis) April 10, 2019

■ Bonus Round:

Maybe the Brits' wait time problem stems from this inconvenient factoid:

UK short 100,000 physicians ; 50,000 surgeries cancelled ; Americans are you ok with this ? @somedocs @LeahHoustonMD @mass_marion @Empoweringpts9 https://t.co/5knnd2hTI1

— Basia Jenkins,MD (@Docbasia) April 6, 2019

#Medicare4All FTW.

It's Tuesday, let's see what's up with the MVNHS©

Oh:

In The U.K., Blindness Is Free https://t.co/WdmI3bDUm3 from The Political Hat Blog

— Political Hat Blog (@PoliticHatBlog) April 9, 2019

It's what inevitably happens when health care becomes a "right."

MVNHS© Winninng: A Story in Two Parts

Part 1:

North London NHS to stop hip replacements and tonsillectomies via @NewJournal https://t.co/VxQtmZGSHR pic.twitter.com/CJ41CmZfJV

— Sally Pipes (@sallypipes) March 14, 2019

This is what happens when a country turns its medical care over to government bureauweenies. As a result of consistent and increasing budget cuts, the Much Vaunted National Health Service© is "push[ing] more patients towards paying for treatment privately."

Wait, what?

"paying for treatment privately"

It's a not-so-closely guarded secret that even countries with government-run health "care" have huge markets for private insurance. As we reported 7+ years ago:

"Private Medical Insurance ... allows you to have complete reassurance of knowing that, should the need arise you and your family can receive medical treatment privately, without waiting for the NHS to treat you."

We wondered at the time about why this was necessary, given the free and widely available health care that is the MVNHS©. Now we know.

Part B):

One of our most enduring memes here at IB is the fact that health care ≠ health insurance. That is, what good is the coverage if there's no one to provide the care?

Well, our British Cousins are learning this lesson good and hard. From FoIB Rich W:

Over half of the doctors in the UK’s single-payer system are thinking about reducing hours or quitting due to low salaries and heavy caseloads.

Americans should fear the dangers of oppressive policies would enslave them to the gov. #ampFW via @sallypipes https://t.co/icvty74x1G

— FreedomWorks (@FreedomWorks) March 7, 2019

A lesson to be learned as we rush headlong toward #Medicare4All: Be careful what you wish for.

More MVNHS© #Winning

It’s working! Single Payer is working!! And better than expected. https://t.co/PvyHqoN2nq

— Rich Weinstein (@phillyrich1) March 10, 2019