I live in two countries -- America & England. We spend part of our year in each country.
Since I have a medical insurance plan through my college, I try not to take advantage of socialized medicine in England. After all, I pay a monthly premium for my medical insurance in America. I should take advantage of what I already pay for -- and I should not take advantage of what I do not pay for (I pay no taxes in England) but is given to me for free because I married a British woman who has paid taxes all of her life.
When I am ill and in England I do go to the doctor who lives just around the corner from where we live but until recently, all my dental work was done in America. All that changed recently.
My dentist found a growth on my tongue, a growth he thought he had not seen before & a growth he was afraid might be cancerous. He suggested a biopsy, just to be sure & he recommended an aural surgeon.
The aural surgeon was not part of my Blue Cross Blue Shield plan but I thought I would go see him because the cost was minimal, only $45. I went to him & just by chance he was the one who removed my wisdom teeth fifteen years ago & he noticed the growth on my tongue then. Nevertheless, he thought a biopsy was called for & he was ready to do it right then. The cost? 250 dollars. I declined, thinking I could find another dentist in Traverse City -- one who was part of my insurance plan.
As I was leaving the secretary let me know that there were no aural surgeons -- not a single one in Traverse city -- who were part of my plan. I would have to travel hundreds of miles downstate to have this biopsy done.
My wife suggested I get it done in England. She thought the local doctor, a lovely, gentle man, liked to perform surgery.
When we came to England I made an appointment to see him. He could see me the very same day I phoned for an appointment. He took a look at my tongue & I mentioned to him that my wife thought he liked to perform surgery. He smiled. He said yes, but not surgery on a tongue. He told me I needed to go to the local hospital & that he would contact the hospital who would then contact me. Cost for all this? Zero point zero dollars.
Within two weeks I received a letter giving me an appointment. I bicycled to the hospital and within fifteen minutes of my arrival a doctor saw me, looked at my tongue & discussed the options with me. He felt a biopsy was called for. It could be done under a local anaesthetic but he thought a general anaesthetic was called for. That way, while I was under the influence of the anaesthetic, they could take a longer, slower look. Would that be okay with me? I said yes. He said he would make an appointment for me within the next month. Cost? Zero point zero dollars.
So far, two appointments in England and so far it has cost me no money and I have been treated kindly & I have never been asked to wait for more than fifteen minutes in total. This tale of the wonderful benefits of socialized medicine will continue in my next talk.
Last time I told you the tale of a growth on my tongue, a growth that people feared might be cancerous. It cost me 45 dollars for a one minute look at it in America & a possible 250 more dollars for a biopsy -- and I have medical and dental insurance -- but the insurance does not cover this procedure in Traverse City.So I went to have it done in England. So far I’ve had the local doctor and a doctor at the hospital in Southampton, England, my hometown in England, look at it. The cost so far? Nothing. Not a single cent.
I am going to the hospital for an operation, a biopsy & more will be done, later this afternoon. I was asked to come to the hospital last Wednesday for a pre-clerking. At the pre-clerking I was asked a whole series of questions about my medical history in the past. This took about twenty minutes. They then took my blood pressure & performed a couple of other routine medical examinations. A doctor then explained what they were going to do & the possible side effects -- a slight irritation in my throat, some possible bleeding. They then took a blood test. All this took about an hour and a half. They were kind, courteous, efficient and kept asking me if I had any questions. They even asked about the food I wanted when I came for my hospital stay & whether I was a small eater, a regular eater or a big eater. I joked about what a good hotel this was. Cost of this one and a half hour consultation. Not a single cent.
I am going in this afternoon, Sunday afternoon. The operation is scheduled for Monday afternoon and I will stay in hospital for possibly two nights. Cost? Not a single cent. I will tell you more after I get out of the hospital.
It is now Tuesday morning. I got back last night. I arrived at the hospital Sunday night & was admitted & given an evening meal. After midnight I was not allowed to eat anything. Monday morning the anaesthetist & the doctor who would perform the operation came to see me. They explained the procedure & the probable after-effects: a sore throat, slight pain on the tongue. At around 11 a.m. I was wheeled into the aneasthesia room. Within seconds I was unconscious & less than an hour later I woke up. The operation was over & the entire growth was removed and they are sending it for analysis. The surgeon came to see me around three and told me the growth did not look nasty but that the results of the biopsy would be made known to me in a couple of weeks. If I was not uncomfortable I could leave at six that afternoon. If I wanted to, I could stay overnight.
What courtesy! What kind consideration -- from start to finish. No one made me wait. Every doctor & every nurse kept asking me if I had any questions. They performed impeccably -- and the cost to me was not a single cent -- that’s not a single cent for four separate procedures: the initial analysis which led to a consultation with a doctor at the hospital, which led to an hour and a half pre-clerking with blood tests & talks which finally led to a 24 hour stay in a hospital bed and an hour long operation.
Unbelievable. Not one cent, not one penny. And If I tried to do that in Traverse City, even with insurance, the cost would have been over 300 dollars -- and that was for just one quick look, one small cut, a biopsy, in a dentist’s office.
Why don’t we have socialized medicine in America? Why? Why? In my experience, even medical insurance in America doesn’t work as well as socialized medicine in England.
Three weeks later I was called in & told the growth was not cancerous.
Copyright © 2004 Henry Morgenstein