Socialized medicine: 108 year old woman told to wait 18 mos. for hearing aid

[ScreamingEagle]

Daily Mail - UK
29th July 2007

A woman aged 108 has been told she must wait 18 months before the Health Service will give her the hearing aid she needs.

Former piano teacher Olive Beal, one of the oldest people in Britain, has poor eyesight and uses a wheelchair.

The delay could mean she will be unable to communicate and listen to the music she loves.

Now her family have said that realistically Mrs Beal is unlikely ever to receive the digital hearing aid that will save her from isolation.

The one-time suffragette is one of hundreds of thousands of older people made to wait up to two years and sometimes more for modern digital hearing aids that make a dramatic difference to their ability to hear and communicate.

The case of Mrs Beal comes just a few days after the Mail revealed how another centenarian, Esme Collins, has been threatened with eviction from the nursing home where she has lived for ten years in a dispute between home owners and the local council over her fees.

The Daily Mail's Dignity for the Elderly campaign has highlighted the way the elderly are made to pay high bills while their needs and interests are sidelined in the system meant to care for them.

cont.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=471617&in_page_id=1770

 

[Angel Heart]

Socialized medicine at it's best.

 

[Ninja]

Cue the communist Democrat pod people trying to spin this...

"Oh, this isn't such a big deal, needing a hearing aid doesn't constitute a medical emergency"

"This shows how much more efficient socialzed medicine is with respect to our system - clearly British doctors are much better at prioritizing than ours"

"She had to wait so long because all of the doctors were busy giving excellent care to to people who were in dire need of it"

Makes sense - Dems hate the elderly almost as much as they hate the unborn and would probably start euthanasia clinics if they could. I know! They could call it "Planned Adulthood" and you could bring your elderly mother and father to be put to sleep if they became a nuisance.

We should email this to Obammy and see what he thinks.

 

[Truthmatters]

This is too long to wait.

they should improve the system they have to better serve their people.

Now do you want to talk about the elderly Americans who worked a full working life and will never be able to afford a hearing aid?

 

[Alpha1]

This is too long to wait.

they should improve the system they have to better serve their people.

Now do you want to talk about the elderly Americans who worked a full working life and will never be able to afford a hearing aid?

Medicaid will pay for a hearing aid for poor elderly Americans....but not for rich elderly Americans...as it should be....

 

[uscitizen]

Medicaid will pay for a hearing aid for poor elderly Americans....but not for rich elderly Americans...as it should be....

Umm Medicare I think....

 

[Alpha1]

Umm Medicare I think....

Medicare does NOT cover...

 

[DeadCanDance]

Daily Mail - UK
29th July 2007

A woman aged 108 has been told she must wait 18 months before the Health Service will give her the hearing aid she needs.

Former piano teacher Olive Beal, one of the oldest people in Britain, has poor eyesight and uses a wheelchair.

The delay could mean she will be unable to communicate and listen to the music she loves.

Now her family have said that realistically Mrs Beal is unlikely ever to receive the digital hearing aid that will save her from isolation.

The one-time suffragette is one of hundreds of thousands of older people made to wait up to two years and sometimes more for modern digital hearing aids that make a dramatic difference to their ability to hear and communicate.

The case of Mrs Beal comes just a few days after the Mail revealed how another centenarian, Esme Collins, has been threatened with eviction from the nursing home where she has lived for ten years in a dispute between home owners and the local council over her fees.

The Daily Mail's Dignity for the Elderly campaign has highlighted the way the elderly are made to pay high bills while their needs and interests are sidelined in the system meant to care for them.

cont.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=471617&in_page_id=1770

Well, damn at least she's getting one. Most private insurance companies don't cover hearing aids.

 

[Waterrescuedude]

Free health care you get what you pay for..

 

[Diuretic]

If the chattering ideologues will let me get a word in.

It's not the fault of "socialised medicine" - is that a juju phrase for you folks btw, the little mantra pops up now and again, saves having to argue the point I suppose.

The local authority has a fixed budget. It has to cover a lot of people on that budget. The money that's available has to be prioritised. One thousand pounds for a hearing aid for this lady might be better spent elsewhere on someone who has a greater needs. That's just straightforward financial decision-making.

 

[BaronVonBigmeat]

Now do you want to talk about the elderly Americans who worked a full working life and will never be able to afford a hearing aid?

yes

they could probably afford better health care and a better retirement if they hadn't been forced to contribute to social security and medicaid for 4+ decades

 

[Kagom]

Speaking with a friend from Poland about socialized medicine: he hates it. He says the doctors are on strike most of the time and that they pay too much.

 

[heretic]

...
The local authority has a fixed budget. It has to cover a lot of people on that budget. The money that's available has to be prioritised. One thousand pounds for a hearing aid for this lady might be better spent elsewhere on someone who has a greater needs. That's just straightforward financial decision-making.

That seems to be trend with government programs, if there is a problem the solution is to throw more money at.

Seems to work public schools .

 

[SpidermanTuba]

Daily Mail - UK
29th July 2007

A woman aged 108 has been told she must wait 18 months before the Health Service will give her the hearing aid she needs.

Former piano teacher Olive Beal, one of the oldest people in Britain, has poor eyesight and uses a wheelchair.

The delay could mean she will be unable to communicate and listen to the music she loves.

Now her family have said that realistically Mrs Beal is unlikely ever to receive the digital hearing aid that will save her from isolation.

The one-time suffragette is one of hundreds of thousands of older people made to wait up to two years and sometimes more for modern digital hearing aids that make a dramatic difference to their ability to hear and communicate.

The case of Mrs Beal comes just a few days after the Mail revealed how another centenarian, Esme Collins, has been threatened with eviction from the nursing home where she has lived for ten years in a dispute between home owners and the local council over her fees.

The Daily Mail's Dignity for the Elderly campaign has highlighted the way the elderly are made to pay high bills while their needs and interests are sidelined in the system meant to care for them.

cont.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=471617&in_page_id=1770

We've got 80 year olds waiting in line for 8 hours in the 95 degree heat down here in New Orleans to get checks they were promised that they still won't be getting - but I don't hear anyone complaining about that. Why are you so concerned about Canada?

 

[maineman]

at 108, she's heard enough already.

 

[ScreamingEagle]

We've got 80 year olds waiting in line for 8 hours in the 95 degree heat down here in New Orleans to get checks they were promised that they still won't be getting - but I don't hear anyone complaining about that. Why are you so concerned about Canada?

You just provided more proof that government is not the answer.

I'm not concerned about Canada, other than the fact that liberals here want to follow their stupid example.

at 108, she's heard enough already.

Dipshit. You sound just like a typical unconcerned government official. Next thing you'll be saying is she's lived enough already...time for her government planned euthanasia to get her off the books so somebody else can have her share.

Government programs promise but never deliver. People need to plan and prepare for themselves.

 

[DeadCanDance]

Daily Mail - UK
29th July 2007

A woman aged 108 has been told she must wait 18 months before the Health Service will give her the hearing aid she needs.

Former piano teacher Olive Beal, one of the oldest people in Britain, has poor eyesight and uses a wheelchair.

The delay could mean she will be unable to communicate and listen to the music she loves.

Now her family have said that realistically Mrs Beal is unlikely ever to receive the digital hearing aid that will save her from isolation.

The one-time suffragette is one of hundreds of thousands of older people made to wait up to two years and sometimes more for modern digital hearing aids that make a dramatic difference to their ability to hear and communicate.

The case of Mrs Beal comes just a few days after the Mail revealed how another centenarian, Esme Collins, has been threatened with eviction from the nursing home where she has lived for ten years in a dispute between home owners and the local council over her fees.

The Daily Mail's Dignity for the Elderly campaign has highlighted the way the elderly are made to pay high bills while their needs and interests are sidelined in the system meant to care for them.

cont.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=471617&in_page_id=1770

Obviously, you didn't put much thought into this post. It took me about a minute on google, to figure out what's going on here:

This woman could go out tommorrow, and buy a hearing aid from a private company. Isn't that the way you cons like it? That whole personal responsibility thing?

The fact that she's on a waiting list with the National Health Service (NHS) means she probably can't afford to pay for one out of her own pocket.

And at least NHS offers free hearing aids. Most private insurance plans don't pay for hearing aids. She'd be SOL in the United States, most likely.

Lastly, priority for the free hearing aids from British NHS are for war veterans and retired police. Sorry. Sorry, but, war veterans should come first.

Most likely, this old lady is better off in the UK: at least she'll get a hearing aid eventually, on NHS. She obviously can't afford to buy one out of her own pocket, or she could go out tommorow and get one from a private company. And private insurance wouldn't help her - they generally don't cover hearing aids.

 

[Diuretic]

That seems to be trend with government programs, if there is a problem the solution is to throw more money at.

Seems to work public schools .

In this instance it seems that that hasn't happened. There's insufficient money being thrown at it.

 

[no1tovote4]

We've got 80 year olds waiting in line for 8 hours in the 95 degree heat down here in New Orleans to get checks they were promised that they still won't be getting - but I don't hear anyone complaining about that. Why are you so concerned about Canada?

It seems that the same government that can't get her a check would be running our health care... I wonder how long she'd have to wait then. Let's add to the boondoggle, that will fix it all!

The reason that they bring up Canada is because they are often used as an example of how great it is to have socialized medicine (and yes, there it is truly socialized private medicine may gain a foothold in Quebec after a lawsuit but as of today it is still socialized and illegal to practice private medicine) therefore it is salient in a discussion here about how we can go about universalizing health care without recreating the same problems in a much larger more messed up bureaucracy because of the fact we have 10 times the population that they do.

 

[Bern80]

Obviously, you didn't put much thought into this post. It took me about a minute on google, to figure out what's going on here:

This woman could go out tommorrow, and buy a hearing aid from a private company. Isn't that the way you cons like it? That whole personal responsibility thing?

The fact that she's on a waiting list with the National Health Service (NHS) means she probably can't afford to pay for one out of her own pocket.

And at least NHS offers free hearing aids. Most private insurance plans don't pay for hearing aids. She'd be SOL in the United States, most likely.

Lastly, priority for the free hearing aids from British NHS are for war veterans and retired police. Sorry. Sorry, but, war veterans should come first.

Most likely, this old lady is better off in the UK: at least she'll get a hearing aid eventually, on NHS. She obviously can't afford to buy one out of her own pocket, or she could go out tommorow and get one from a private company. And private insurance wouldn't help her - they generally don't cover hearing aids.

better off? yeah. I'll ask you the same question I have been asking others. Is your goal affordable healthcare for all or access to healthcare for all? Cause you can't have both. It's basic economics.

This old lady illustrates one of my other questions perfectly. what the hell good is a free hearing aid if the line is so long that you're never gonna get one?

What is the goal of universal healthcare. that it be affordable for all? No the real goal is that everyone have access to healthcare and for god know what reason (I can only guess it's because you've never taken basic econ) you think that will happen be significantly reducing the price of it or makeing it free all together. This case is just another of many, many examples showing that not only did you not achieve the goal, you actually made it worse.

All you have accomplished is setting up yet another beuracratic nightmare where someone gets to tell me what I do or don't need as far as my health is concerned.