Is it useful only to US residents?

[Gemjay]

In our country there's no free access to healthcare. There's an insurance which you pay for and it only caters for a very small percentage in the hospital. You have to pay the rest of the money by yourself but the author also teaches things such as choosing your primary care physician which cut across globally.

[Caroline Anne Richmond]

I am British and never worried about healthcare insurance as we have the NHS which provides healthcare for all. I only used to consider it when travelling. However, I have recently moved to Spain and have had to take out private healthcare which has been a learning curve. I think the book is better suited for those who live in places where there isn’t free healthcare, but you never know when you may need it, so the book can be useful for anyone.

[Timothy Rucinski]

I've spent a lot of time in Canada this past year, and I can safely say that most of this book is relevant to residents of the US since much of it focuses on issues of insurance and paying for services. However, the guidelines for choosing healthcare providers in terms of doing the research and asking the right questions would be helpful in most places where patients have a choice in selecting their physicians.

[cd20]

I am sure that a lot can be applicable to outside of the USA as there are relevant things like, as you say, private healthcare and therefore the need for health insurance. However, I am also lucky to be from a country that has free healthcare (the UK), which means that a lot of what is said is not applicable to me, but I do understand what is be spoken about, so in a way it is useful to learn about the system in the US even if it not applicable to me.

I think that it is controversial that Americans have to pay for even the most basic rights how human health, especially because it makes it so much less accessible for those who cannot afford it. The healthcare system should not be a business, capitalising from it is not right. That is what I see as the most controversial thing, especially comparing it to the healthcare system we have here in the UK.

Can you please tell me whether UK is having a government based healthcare system, which is totally free for any UK resident, or is it based on a health insurance system in which everyone is enrolled in it, so no one has to pay out of one's own pocket for healthcare services.

I agree. Healthcare should not be a business for profit. But on the other hand, how can the health related service-people live unless they make a profit out of it?

The UK has the National Health Service (NHS) which is funded by the government from general taxation. Every service it provides is free to everybody. The only thing paid for out of one's own pocket is medication and even then that is extremely cheap. It is £9.35 for all prescriptions currently, whereas in America it can cost up to, if not more than, $370 (and that depends on the medication you take, different meds and brands cost different amounts of money). In the UK, you only need insurance if you decide to go through a private hospital.

Health related service people (as you put it) are paid by the government through government funding. Private health workers are paid more due to it being private and depending on the nature of their work. It is very very possible for healthcare to be free and for the workers to be paid despite this. Why should America be profiting off of people's illness, and why should it be only accessible to those who can afford it?

As someone who lives in America and is on several medications and who has had to see several specialty doctors, I can tell you the system is broken and ridiculously expensive! You pay for insurance and it rarely covers the entire cost of anything. I am happy to hear that your all's government does it better. I did find when I lived in other countries that I could get my medications cheaper than I do here.

[cd20]

I think parts of it could be applicable to anyone, especially chapter 11, about having an emergency plan in place. Also, the section where the author talks about a living will, that is also universal. Other sections might only pertain to the US, but overall I think there is enough information that would benefit most people.

[Michael Jerry_]

While the author talks about the health care system from her point of view ( which happens to be the way of the USA) I still think there are some moral lessons that we can all pick up from this book like how she put her job over everything and in the end became sick herself. This kind of thing isn’t exclusive to the USA alone!

[Maddie Atkinson]

Can you please tell me whether UK is having a government based healthcare system, which is totally free for any UK resident, or is it based on a health insurance system in which everyone is enrolled in it, so no one has to pay out of one's own pocket for healthcare services.

I agree. Healthcare should not be a business for profit. But on the other hand, how can the health related service-people live unless they make a profit out of it?

The UK has the National Health Service (NHS) which is funded by the government from general taxation. Every service it provides is free to everybody. The only thing paid for out of one's own pocket is medication and even then that is extremely cheap. It is £9.35 for all prescriptions currently, whereas in America it can cost up to, if not more than, $370 (and that depends on the medication you take, different meds and brands cost different amounts of money). In the UK, you only need insurance if you decide to go through a private hospital.

Health related service people (as you put it) are paid by the government through government funding. Private health workers are paid more due to it being private and depending on the nature of their work. It is very very possible for healthcare to be free and for the workers to be paid despite this. Why should America be profiting off of people's illness, and why should it be only accessible to those who can afford it?

As someone who lives in America and is on several medications and who has had to see several specialty doctors, I can tell you the system is broken and ridiculously expensive! You pay for insurance and it rarely covers the entire cost of anything. I am happy to hear that your all's government does it better. I did find when I lived in other countries that I could get my medications cheaper than I do here.

Hi again buddy! I am sorry to hear that. I know that America is all about the 'American Dream' but capitalising off of people's suffering is not on and I am sorry that you are a victim to that. The NHS over here is definitely under a lot of pressure and struggling (especially at the current circumstances) and it is underfunded too, but being able to access free healthcare is something that is maintained because it is so important that people get the bare minimum of that access. If you cant even pay for your prescription there are services that allow you to be exempt from it too. I am sorry that America has failed you when it comes to healthcare.

[Yvonne Monique]

I am not a US resident, but many chapters are applicable to non-residents. However, the financial tips and guidelines are probably not relavant for people from other countries.

[Dimi1]

I think it only refers to the US. In my country we have a totally different system with its advantages and disadvantages and, to be honest, I fail to see the connection with what the book describes but at least I gain an insight into what happens in the US.

[Ahbed Nadir]

Although the author is a US based citizen and she did write on her experiences with the US healthcare system, she still provided a lot of information that is extremely helpful to citizens of other countries.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

No, the book is not relevant to US residents alone. The book is helpful to everyone who intends to take their health seriously going forward and those that are or have a cancer patient to attend to, regardless of whatever part of the world they are in.

Well, for the part of caring for a cancer patient, I agree that this book can be applied universally, though it does not talk about the caring part a lot. But most of the other data are mainly relevant to US healthcare system and US residents. So the applicability of the book in 100% for a country which has a completely different system, related to the business aspect of healthcare, is doubtful.

[Esther11]

There are things that are solely useful for US citizens but overall, the book can be read by those who are not US citizens.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

I am sure that a lot can be applicable to outside of the USA as there are relevant things like, as you say, private healthcare and therefore the need for health insurance. However, I am also lucky to be from a country that has free healthcare (the UK), which means that a lot of what is said is not applicable to me, but I do understand what is be spoken about, so in a way it is useful to learn about the system in the US even if it not applicable to me.

I think that it is controversial that Americans have to pay for even the most basic rights how human health, especially because it makes it so much less accessible for those who cannot afford it. The healthcare system should not be a business, capitalising from it is not right. That is what I see as the most controversial thing, especially comparing it to the healthcare system we have here in the UK.

Can you please tell me whether UK is having a government based healthcare system, which is totally free for any UK resident, or is it based on a health insurance system in which everyone is enrolled in it, so no one has to pay out of one's own pocket for healthcare services.

I agree. Healthcare should not be a business for profit. But on the other hand, how can the health related service-people live unless they make a profit out of it?

The UK has the National Health Service (NHS) which is funded by the government from general taxation. Every service it provides is free to everybody. The only thing paid for out of one's own pocket is medication and even then that is extremely cheap. It is £9.35 for all prescriptions currently, whereas in America it can cost up to, if not more than, $370 (and that depends on the medication you take, different meds and brands cost different amounts of money). In the UK, you only need insurance if you decide to go through a private hospital.

Health related service people (as you put it) are paid by the government through government funding. Private health workers are paid more due to it being private and depending on the nature of their work. It is very very possible for healthcare to be free and for the workers to be paid despite this. Why should America be profiting off of people's illness, and why should it be only accessible to those who can afford it?

Thank you for the nice explanation. I agree. Health service can be totally free. In my country we are provided with totally free health service including the medication as well. There are areas that the government is lacking in this system, because of nothing else but as we are a still developing country. But I must say the health standards of our people is at a very high level.

Yes, US too can do that. But I think now it is hard for them to turn it totally upside down because now the insurance companies are established strongly and the people are used to it. So are the healthcare workers.

[Sushan Ekanayake]

It seems like there are some aspects that are related only to the US, but there are also some general points the author talks about that could apply to some other situations too. For example, where I live, we have a free healthcare system that is good, but not perfect, so there are some specific situations when we still have to spend money on our healthcare. However, the author brought some interesting techniques and arguments that were helpful to me.

I see your point. It is hard to make the healthcare system both free and perfect if the country is not very rich. But it provides an equal service to the whole nation and make the people more healthy. The insurance aspect that this author has mainly discussed is related to the US as their whole system is dependant on that. I think in my country only a small percentage are having life insurances and many are not either interested in it or cannot afford that. So in my country per se I think these specific content are less applicable.

[Samavis89700]

I am no expert on other countries' healthcare systems, but having lived in America, I think the book contains information that is mostly applicable to US residents. The parts that are relevant to non-Americans are generally about advocating for yourself and your loved ones, having an emergency plan (which might involve an applicable insurance plan), and understanding the need to make a living will before you really need it. Otherwise, a lot of the insurance and medicine info seemed mostly relevant to American residents and those living in a system similar to the American one.