Heart Attack to 10K (part 4.23) - God bless the NHS

Part 4.23 - GOD BLESS THE NHS

(Phase VI - sustaining a healthy life-style)

"Nothings going to happen unless you make it happen."

Just occasionally I like to write something other than about my heart condition, highlighting my appreciation, experiences or support received over the past 6 and a bit years, to this end I have already written special blogs covering Cardiac Rehab, FITT, AFib awareness and Parkrun. Today I would like to show my admiration and gratitude for the tremendous work & service given to me by the NHS, not just for my heart problems but for other aliments I suffered over the same period.

Recently I have been reading a 'question & answer' social media platform where the question of health care in the USA gets heavily debated when compared to the UK and elsewhere with 'socialised healthcare' and I admit knowing very little what happens over the pond other than it being 'private' and driven by insurance with terminology such as 'co-pay', 'deductible' and 'out of pocket limits' - I'm not sure if I even know what these actually mean. I take most of what I read 'with a pinch of salt'  but with so many admitting to falling foul of the American system, that there must be some truth. This led me to wonder just how I would have fared and how much all my hospital treatment over the past 6 years would have cost if the UK adopted a similar system? – I really don’t know because I have never received a bill with it all being free of charge at the point of use …. God bless the NHS!

This blog is not intended to be a dig at the USA but merely me trying to understand the differences by making a personal comparison between what I have read regarding health care in America and what I have personally experienced with the NHS.  

Another thing that does come through from a lot of the US forum commentators is the lack of compassion for their fellow citizens if they can’t afford their own health insurance, that they shouldn’t be subsidised by those who can and left to fend for themselves – is this really a true reflection of the average American or just internet trolls trying to cause a reaction? (but they fervently defend the 'right to bear arms' which is probably a good indication just how much value is put on life). I find this incredibly hard to believe and thought the country was founded on Christian beliefs but this is just inhumane and hardly seems in-keeping with those ideals - illness has no class or wealth distinction, so why should it's treatment? .... especially when it is treatable - surely that should be a basic human right.

To try and understand the culture of those who have been through the American system I have copied a couple of replies, which I presume to be genuine, to the question ‘Are people exaggerating about the American health care system or is it that bad if you don't have insurance?’

• “My son was attacked and murdered at his college. When he was rushed to the emergency room before being pronounced dead, they processed him in as uninsured. Three days after his death we received two things from the hospital. The first was a bill for $38,000. He was there 7 minutes before being pronounced dead. The second item was a letter informing him (the deceased) that he was no longer welcome at that hospital as an “indigent person.” That is the way a crime victim is viewed in the American health care bureaucracy.
  
  My son had to have insurance to get into college and be a student there. They knew he had insurance. They simply found it easier to ignore the insurance and degrade him as “indigent.” We had to go through the difficulty of connecting his insurance to the medical center’s billing department even while dealing with our grief and loss.
  
  Later a bill arrived for $2,000 in ambulance services, billed separately, of course. Insurance eventually paid all but $100, but only after (again) I had to get his insurance connected to the ambulance company’s billing.”  
  
  
• “My wife and I had employer provided healthcare insurance. She got diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer at age 52 and passed away 3 years later. She stayed working as long as possible to keep her insurance in force. The US system is a piecemeal labyrinth. After it was all done, I was left with over $200K in uncovered expenses. For instance, once diagnosed with cancer tumors in her brain, the insurance company denied coverage for chemo. Each chemo treatment was $18K every 2 weeks. The denials took almost 6 months to process and no one let us know. She had three surgeries and the anaesthesiologist on each one was not in network so had to pay the full bill ourselves. People here go bankrupt even if they have insurance.” 

• Link to original post .... click here

….. these are just two random replies, both with insurance and left either out of pocket or having to deal with red tape while distressed. There are many, many more horror stories like these or even worse being added every day throughout the forum including a patient having a heart attack being refused treatment and left to die in the hospital car park and another where a young woman is pulled from a car wreckage screaming not to call an ambulance as she didn't have insurance  .... most stories seem way too extreme for civilized country and saddens me to read them. – Just having to deal with insurance bureaucracy (and I know from personal experience they try and wriggle out of any claim and their first concern will be profits and shareholders, not necessarily your health or welfare) while probably facing life-changing personal health issue's seems cruel and it really makes me glad that, by accident of birth, I was born where I was. It makes me appreciate the NHS even more, especially after all the treatments & care I have received over the last few years which will probably by now exceed what I put into the system (especially if the fees above are anything to go by). But the main benefit has to be not being lumbered with a sudden and unplanned massive bill which could destroy your future or the facing the ordeal of having to worry if it is covered by my insurance while a cardiologist is poking about in my heart performing an angioplasty or cardioversion (and I have had a few of both).

I'm just a Joe average wage earner but paid my national insurance and taxes (percentage of my wage) since the day I left school and as it has always been deducted at source, never missed what I never had and it has probably been my best investment ever, even-though for many years I hardly ever visited the doctor and the only time I was in hospital was for appendicitis when I was 11 (before I had even contributed) and it wouldn't have mattered if I reached retirement without using the service as I would still covered into my old age - (from cradle to grave). My next visit however (that I remember) was when I was having some breathing difficulties probably in about 2012 and underwent an MRI & CT scans plus Chest X-Rays, some 38 years after I started paying to the health care system (I could have been lining the pockets of some private health insurer all that time with absolutely no return!). This then led to being diagnosed with firstly stable angina and then soon after unstable angina in 2013 when I had my first angioplasty and stents. 

Following this I started to claw back some of my contributions, there was my first round of cardiac rehab, cardiologist appointments, stress test, and many other GP appointments. I obviously started on heart medication but had to pay towards this, though this was through the prescription pre-payment certificate (PPC) which had a set fee (just 2 items you are saving money on an already subsidised cost) regardless how much or what medication you're on, since turning 60 this has become free as well and I'm currently on 8 prescribed pills per day.

Since my heart attack in Dec 2016 to Mar 2023 I have really benefited from the health service:

• 2 x Angioplasties plus stents
  
• 
  1 x Angiogram 
• 2 x DC Cardioversions
  
• 18 x Cardiac rehab appointments (2 separate occasions)
  
• 1 x Myocardial Perfusion Scan
• 2 x MRI scans (prostate)
• 4 x Fistual surgery & outpatient appointments
• 3 x 24 hour ECG holter monitors
• 1 x 7 day ECG holter monitor
  
• 1 x Hip X-Ray
• 1 x Chest X-Ray (amiodarone therapy)
  
• 1 x Stress Echocardiogram
• 2 x Echocardiograms
  
• 1 x Bolus impaction endoscopy
• 1 x Barium swallow
• 1 x Ultrasound scan (urinary tract)
  
• 6 x A&E (Emergency Room) visits
• 1 x treatment for gastroentertis with AKI (including a night in resuscitation)
• 16 x Cardiology outpatient/phone consultation appointments
• 8 x Urology outpatient/phone consultation appointments
• 1 x Anticoagulation outpatient appointment
  
• 6 x Ambulances
• 7 x overnight stays in hospital
  
• Numerous GP appointments, ECG's, X-Rays and blood tests (more than I'll ever be able to remember)
  

.... and these are just the ones I remember, total bill £0.00 - how much would all that come to for a USA patient or how much treatment would not be covered by health insurance?

This is not to say I am opposed to private health care and did go 'private' when I suffered a Bolus Impaction and had an 'Upper GI endoscopy & dilation' in 2019 after a piece of beef had become lodged in my throat. The NHS cleared the original problem but this left me with difficultly swallowing and very wary about choking on virtually anything I ate. So, I decided to take advantage of my company's health policy and go private to try and move things along and was treated by the same specialist as I was with under the NHS! The total treatment cost was £2,406.27 including outpatient consultations and worth every penny ... but only because as I wasn't paying!

I'm keeping open the option of further 'private' treatment for the moment should I require a likely cardiac ablation before I retire within the next year, as I would like to get off the amiodarone therapy as soon as possible so might want to speed this before my retirement (see update below). If this doesn't happen then I'm happy to wait my turn on the NHS, as I know should this become urgent it would be dealt with straight away.

But as far as my heart problems are concerned I have always found the NHS to be proficient, caring and where it mattered quick to respond and treat and never really felt the need to go private.

The NHS is not without it's problems though, not least being underfunded and short of staff causing long waiting times for non-urgent procedures, but in principle is the fairer system and definitely worth fighting for. I had a recent meeting with the Cardiac Rehab unit at Wycombe hospital in my capacity as a Hearts & Souls trustee and we asked how the charity could help, the short answer was 'a nurse' which is not something we would normally fund, this just about sums up the state of the NHS at the moment.

However, I remain eternally grateful to the NHS for all they have done and whatever is to come - God bless the NHS!

UPDATE 17/09/24:

On 14th December 2023 I did go 'private' for a catheter ablation, the same procedure carried out by the same Electrophysiologist in the same hospital as if I waited for the NHS [see part 4.25], the only difference being getting it done sooner and a private room with en-suite and a TV!  The total cost for this treatment together with pre and post operation consultations came to £6,769.00 and has, to date, been successful in preventing the return of Atrial Fibrilliation.


Heart attack to 10K pictorial record - click here

Thank-you for reading and I would love to hear your thoughts on any subject I have covered, please leave your comments below or email me at peterjemmett@aol.com

Some feedback I have received in response to this blog:

“I read your blog. I like that my taxes and NI are not just for me but for all society to be able to equally access medical care, albeit it’s my turn now. So yes, the NHS is a god send even when it’s struggling.” – (Heart patient)

 “I like that my taxes and NI are not just for me but for all society to be able to equally access medical care. That really made me smile that there are people that care about others no matter what. You have a sharp eye as well as mind I never thought that about the nurses but a good point.” – (Heart patient)

 “I read your blog and you have had your fair share of things go wrong but I agree with the previous comment the NHS is a god send even though it is struggling but let's hope that can be turned around x” – (Heart patient)

 “Yes, I agree we are so fortunate to have our NHS in this country, where everyone is treated equally regardless of their financial situation. I was pleased to hear about the new 5% pay rise and some backpay had been negotiated for many NHS staff though unfortunately the doctors had been left out. Hopefully the doctors will also receive an increase. I was amazed when I read how little junior doctors received after all their years training and having hundreds of pounds worth of student loans to repay. They really need our full support so we don't lose them to other countries.” – (Heart patient)

 “Great article Peter. It reminds us that for all the challenges the NHS may have, we have a lot to be thankful for. The American system certainly has its challenges. I had hoped that Obamacare would overcome some of these issues, although I don’t understand enough about it to comment from a place of knowledge. Thanks Peter it surely helps to remind us of ultimately how fortunate we are. “ – (Heart patient)

 “In Australia we have Medicare. Like those who have commented before me about the NHS, I feel very fortunate to have access to medical care through our health system. Our Medicare has been ignored by successive Governments for some years and it’s now beginning to show damage. I hope they move quickly to patch it back up. I’d be happy to pay more income tax to keep it going, particularly for those who aren’t as fortunate as I am. It is a life saver for people from low socioeconomic communities. The American system, from what I’ve seen, is a disaster! I’ve been on medical related forums that are US based and it’s horrifying to read how people have to find home remedies for very serious and critical medical concerns because they can’t afford to pay the incredible costs for treatment. ” – (Heart patient)

 “America is a really bad example of a healthcare system, if they have a system. The land of opportunity and dreams is useless for the majority that never found them. We have in Ireland both private insurance and the HSE which is the same as your NHS. The private sector is regulated and quite reasonable and covers over 50% of the population. Of course, you have to pay your taxes and health levy just like everybody else and you can use the public system anytime you need to. I think the private system takes a good deal of pressure from the public system fot those that can afford it. In an emergency like yours was, you would be admitted to the public system and treated pronto and the real advantage of having private insurance is that it does away with the waiting lists for procedures (angiograms, scans etc). Belts and braces.” – (Heart patient) 

“After the past couple of days, I've had, I fully appreciate the NHS. Every member of staff has been amazing. Yes they are over stretched and understaffed but I found the level of care was still high. Brilliant blog post by the way ☺️ “ – (Heart patient)

 

Finally, this was posted on Quora by an American in answer to the question - 'Does the NHS cover pre-existing conditions in the UK?'

"Let's see, when I was 9 years old, my mom was diagnosed with a heart problem. After 6 months, the insurance company renewal came up and it was treated as a pre-existing condition. My mom was advised to get her affairs in order, find care for me and I was told she would not live to see my adulthood.

We moved to the UK. The NHS treated her and she is still here as I race towards the age of 50 myself. Meanwhile, my aunt in the San Francisco Bay area and diagnosed with the same issue. When her insurance stopped paying, she sold everything and turned to charity. When she died a couple if years later, she left the family in major debt. Fast forward 20 years, my cousin, her daughter, a nurse, was diagnosed with the same issue and committed suicide so as not to do the same thing to her family.

My brothers were born in the UK and have the same condition, live very full lives and never worry about medical bills."

The more I read on the American health system (its not care), the more horrified I am. It should not be this way in a 21st century 1st world nation.

Should the original poster see this (your identity is kept secret), I did look to see if I could send you a private message but couldn't find a way. If you want this removed please let me know.

 

My full story - from heart attack to half marathon:

Part 1 - That fateful day. (Phase I - heart attack)  click here
Part 2 - Back home & drama at White Hart Lane. (Phase II - home recovery)  click here
Part 3 - They tried to make me go to rehab, I said yes, yes, yes please. (Phase III - cardiac rehabilitation)  click here
Part 4.1 - Getting FFITer and Harefield & Heartbreak hill revisited (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.2 - Walking for heart & soul & finding parkrun (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.3 - End of year 1 round-up and assessment (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.4 - Falling heart rate: fitter or hibernation? (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.5 - Pain in the bum, going senile and sub 30! (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.6 - Sub 29, attack of the AKI and 1 year old (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.7 - Pushing the boundaries (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here

Part 4.8 - Bling, bling, bling, two 10K's and a 5K. (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.9 - 3 Years On, Ragged Radnage and Pete's bolus journey (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.10 - Coping with COVID-19 and what they say (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.11 - Living in the lock-down (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.12 - Plus and minus 3.5 years; heart attack to half marathon! (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.13 - Is it worth the risk? (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.14 - Mixed bag through Covid (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here

Part 4.15 - Getting back in the groove (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here

Part 4.16 - Reintegrating back into society (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here

Part 4.17 - Get that crazy rhythm (the low down on AFib) (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style)  click here
Part 4.18 - The 5 year itch, time to cut the CRAP! (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here
Part 4.19 - The last word (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here
Part 4.20 - Persisting with parkrun (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here

Part 4.21 - Stuck in reverse (recap of 2022) (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here
Part 4.22 - Starting all over again 6 years on (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here

Next:

Part 4.24 - What I can, when I can (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here
Part 4.25 - Life changes (Phase IV - sustaining a healthy life-style) click here