this post was submitted on 07 Oct 2024
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Brit here. Not saying the NHS has no problems, long waiting lists being the most obvious, and on a practical/personal note shared wards, but at least in principle if the doc says you need X then you get X. There's no beancounter to persuade that you really need this thing who then says no anyway. There might be another step: GP -> specialist -> diagnosis -> solution but in principle it's pretty straightforward. It's funded by a 9% tax so you pay according to your ability, and it's free at the point of delivery to all British citizens.
If the solution is a pill or potion from the chemist then you get it free if you're on a low income, but at a capped price on prescription.
Because it's free to use, you (can) go to the doc as soon as you have a problem, unlike in the USA where you dread massive bills so you hope it goes away on its own, meanwhile it gets worse so you go when you have to and when the bills are at their highest. And because the NHS is tied into the government who regulate the pharmaceutical industry they (should but don't always) get best prices on everything, along with bulk discounts because it's just one buyer for the whole country.
I'm probably oversimplifying a lot here; I don't work in the NHS so this is just my view as an outsider. I think there are some regional variations; every so often "NHS postcode lottery" comes up in the news, but I don't know how they work.