As an American living in the UK, I recently had an unexpected health scare that led to a firsthand experience with the NHS. In this video, I share exactly what happened, what the treatment process was like, how long things took, what the staff were like, and my honest thoughts on the UK's healthcare system.

What has your experience with the NHS been like? Has it been positive, negative, or somewhere in between?

#NHS #UKHealthcare #AmericanInUK #LivingInTheUK #BritishHealthcare #NHSExperience #LifeInBritain #UKvsUSA #MovingToTheUK #London

"One of the most civilised ideas a country has ever committed to"
Beautifully put.

I'm 73 and have been blessed with good health, to the extent that I haven't needed hospital care since infancy and I've only seen a doctor once in the last fifty years. Therefore much of the tax I've paid throughout my life has been largely to support people who haven't been as fortunate as I have. I not only don't begrudge that, I celebrate it. It's how a civilised human society should work.

God bless the NHS and all who work in it❤

As a Brit who lived in the US for 15 years, I'm 100% with you! I know the terror of realising that you, or your children, need to go to the doctor's. I'm so grateful for the NHS. It's the only civilised way to run a country.

A British politician once said. "No society can legitimately call itself civilized if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means". Nothing else needs to be said.

The thought of anyone going through such tests and finding they can't afford the follow up treatment is horrifying. I'm delighted to know you got the all clear.

For any USA citizens who think the NHS system is wrong.
My adult son had worrrying vision plus headaches. A telephone call to an NHS advice line resulted in the arrival of an Ambulance. After a few minutes in a very busy A&E various initial tests were done, including an CT scan . After another wait a a scarce bed was found, whilst the scan was available to a specialist 40 miles away. Later again he was moved , blue light ambulance this time , to another Hospital. A mid morning consultation with a specialist was followed later in the day by an 'operation' to remove a cancerous growth within the pituitary gland. In  the evening he was able to receive visitors.
Two days later he left Hospital with a lifetime free prescription for a range of pills to counteract the loss of the Gland.
Two weeks later he was back at work. Total financial cost £4 for visitors car parking.
Because he had no worries about a big bill for a hospital visit he did not delay seeking Medical Advice, which resulted in him being able to return to work and continue to contribute to the economy. Under the USA scheme? it is possible that he would have died or ended up permanently disabled.

NHS has saved me from dying from cancer twice in my life. I did some rudimentary sums a while back and came to the conclusion the cost of all the treatment I've had has run into the 100s of thousands and all it cost me was the small amount of tax I lose from my salary each month. I've had way more from the NHS than i've ever put in. The service is one of mankinds greatest ever achievements and something us Brits can be super proud of.

The is no health service in the USA, it's a health business .

Can absolutely relate to this. 3 Months before moving to the UK my wife was getting ear aches, but she kept refusing to go to the doctors for exactly the reasons you have covered. Cost. 2 Weeks after moving into West London her ear ache is getting worse. We had not even registered at a doctors yet. (called a GP here), but we went to the local doctors anyway. We didnt have an appointment but they said to sit it out for a while so we had to wait about 45mins and a doctor called us in. After looking in her ear he almost went pale. He called an Ambulance and a car Paramedic turned up in like 10mins, and he rushed us to St Thomas. Which i think is not far from Guys ?, or part of the same hospital. Anyway she was taken into emergency and operated on that afternoon. Turns out she had a severe Mastoid bone infection. The surgeon was able to deal with it and save her ear. Not only that be he saved her life. He said the infection had eaten away at her skull and there was only a thin bit of bone remaining keeping back the fluid around her brain. He said she had maybe 1 or 2 weeks left and it would have taken her life. She was in hospital for 5 days then released home. Like you i was asking about how we are going to pay for it, and they were like "Dont worry about it, there is nothing to pay, go home and rest" !!.  This was such a shock to us, but an early part in our journey of realising how bad life is back in the US. It seems we picked a good time to leave as its far worse there now compared to when we left 12yrs ago.

I've worked in healthcare in the UK all my adult life, and I have a blind hatred of the system in the USA.

Nye Bevan, the man responsible for the NHS said: "Illness is neither an indulgence for which people should have to pay, nor an offence for which they should be penalised, but a misfortune the cost of which should be shared by the community.”  I don't think any society can call themselves civilised if they don't adhere to that.

NHS. Our pride and joy 👏👏👏👏👏

The NHS gave me a spine operation last year that literally saved my life. It cost me NOTHING. Agonising pain 100% gone, mobility now increasing month by month. I owe them everything. In the USA this would have meant bankruptcy, or worse still, impossible to afford. That is pure barbarism.

Out of the 39 IMF-recognised developed economies in the world, 38 of them have universal healthcare. The other one believe that it's communism.

Although the NHS has issues it’s still the gift that thankfully keeps on giving and I wholeheartedly support the work that those incredible people who work tirelessly for the benefit of us all.

Brum, UK: I developed a painless sub mandibular lump. Had it been painful I'd have been less worried, but I was shit scared. I went to see my GP who put me on antibiotics while also referring me should the treatment not have an effect; it didn't. So 10 days following presenting at my GP I was in ENT (Ear Nose and Throat) for a biopsy, which was inconclusive. A week later I had an ultrasound guided biopsy, which was inconclusive. A week later I had surgery to take a section of the swollen lymph node. It took weeks to get the result, but it was found I had a very rare blood cancer. Within two weeks I was prepared for radiotherapy (I still have the mask used to retain the head in a fixed position), and the lymph node was eradicated. I had 3 monthly admissions to haematology to keep an eye on things, then the bad news: the lymphoma had transformed into a highly aggressive form and, without chemotherapy, I had a few weeks to live. A week later chemotherapy began. It was not fun but 16 years later I am still here. Had I had to consider cost I might have delayed until too late.

P R O T E C T   T H E   N H S

You are clearly a very decent human being. And the UK is lucky to have you amongst us.

A glorious quote from Aneurin Bevan:
"Illness is neither an indulgence for which people have to pay, nor an offence for which they should be penalised, but a misfortune, the cost of which should be shared by the community."

This principle is the very foundation of the NHS—that healthcare is a shared social responsibility, not a commodity or a punishment for being sick. Bevan also stated that "No society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means".