Stiff upper lip. Definitely. Heart of a lion. You bet.
At that moment, I realized that my discussion with my friend in London could not reach a resolution. As they say, the United States and Britain are two countries separated by a common language, but in truth our separation is greater. At this point in history, the British and Americans are, at most, distant relatives. The British are reserved and conservative. They do not complain. Their plumbing is archaic and their houses stay cold. They are loyal to the Crown and have a fierce sense of country, common purpose, and shared sacrifice that allows them to accept the NHS even if their own care lags.
Americans in contrast are open and optimistic. We love our freedom and modern conveniences and have air conditioners that frost the air in the dog days of summer. We are individualistic, entrepreneurial, and impatient. Distrusting the government, we would rather have an insurer manage our health, even if profit is part of the mission.
At present, it’s Aetna, Cigna, and BlueCross BlueShield for us. It’s the NHS for them. In the future, the healthcare systems in both countries will change. They have to. The economic reasons are strong and the citizens demand it. Will this change increase access to healthcare and make it more efficient?
Like you, I eagerly await the answer.
Dr. Pisetsky is physician editor of The Rheumatologist and professor of medicine and immunology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
