A couple weeks ago, I got a really sharp stomach pain that knocked me out. That led to throwing up black blood which led to me ending up in the hospital. This is less about me being sick and more about the beauty of the NHS and the care I received that I never did in the USA.

I got to the hosp and while the wait times can be frustrating, the doctors took the most amazing and detailed care of me. They got me a bed, they got me on meds instantly and then they ran tests without ever telling me “you should get this test but your insurance won’t cover it”.

The first thing they did was look at my medical history and notice that I was in remission and had ovarian cancer. Because of that, they did blood work multiple times, then they did an xray, then an ultrasound, then eventually a CT scan and an endoscopy. All free.

At one point the surgeon asked when the last time I had a CT scan was and I explained “well before my final surgery when I went into remission” which got him upset as to why the US doctors didn’t follow up w/ multiple scans to ensure I was all good and I explained well b/c $$$.

The entire I was there nobody came to have me sign papers saying I would be responsible for the finances should my insurance not cover it and because money was not an issue they took their time and figured out what the issue was.

For comparison, in the US while the hospital rooms always do look a LOT nicer than in the UK, there was always fewer tests (even w/ my medical history) and when I’d ask for a CT scan to be sure I would be told that its costly and ushered out of the hospital if my blood work is ok

So a week in the hospital with a shit of tests would have definitely cost me over 100,000 dollars in the US. This was free & nobody tried to get rid of me and send me home until they were sure they figured out the problem and got me on a treatment plan.

They had me on intravenous medicine for an entire day. Then sent me home with medicine, including pain pills that they didn’t try to withhold and second guess my pain levels or “if i really needed them” something that happened even when I had cancer in the US.

Then they referred me for follow up appointments with specialists that called me back the same day to schedule appointments. My entire visit cost me only 16 pounds and that was for the medication that I needed to get, addl meds they gave me for free before sending me home.

Anyway, the two experiences couldn’t be more different. It took years for me to diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the US because they simply didn’t bother to do the right tests. This time the diagnosis happened on day 2 of my hospital visit. Thank you to the NHS.

Now I’m home and recovering without worrying about medical bills. My employer also is not expecting me to work until I am recovered. In the US, I would have to go to work after having chemo and if I had surgery I’d get maybe a couple weeks off. Socialised healthcare is necessary.

The hospitals in the UK are busy, the doctors are overwhelmed but care was amazing. Nice rooms are great but what people really want is to be taken care of and not worry about the cost of getting sick. The USA deserves that too. Everyone does. Healthcare is a human right.