That was my experience. I wasn't even tempted to go private. And while we did have a couple of foreign born doctors (out of about 20 doctors total), my son's Nigerian pediatrician in the hospital spoke exquisite English, and also gave my son excellent care. I think, actually, that we see more foreign doctors here in the US than we did in the UK. My dermatologist is Vietnamese; my internist (of the moment) is Indian (though I have also seen American born internists in our group), my podiatrist is Chinese, and the heart specialist I was sent to was ...French :-)
I found the lack of paper work in the UK fantastic. I would say 1 out of every 3 bills, that is not routine, has some sort of error in it that I have to spend time straightening out. Just a few weeks ago I got a note from my infection specialist, who treated an MRSA infection last July, which required hospitalization. The doctors office had build the insurance 3 times (always using the wrong number), so they sent me a note telling me I owed them several thousand dollars. After a conference call with the insurance company and the Dr's office, I think they've got it straightened out- but 1. such billet doux are a shock 2. they waste an amazing amount of time- my time, the doctor's billing offices time, the insurance companies time and 3. what about people who aren't smart enough to fight the mistakes that come in the mail? There are a LOT of mistakes, and they add up to a lot of money. I would think people who are confused, either from age or illness, would end up screwed. |
