I wanted to share something I learned about National Health Care a few years ago. When I joined an amyloidosis group to support my husband when he was diagnosed with that horrible disease I learned that stem cell transplants are one of the best treatments for it in the United States but it not an available treatment for it in England.
So not only is it difficult to get treatments that are easily available in the United States in some cases it is not even possible
I know this is AI but
AI Overview
Stem Cell Treatment and Research in the UK | Swiss Medica
Stem cell transplants in England are available both through the National Health Service (NHS) and at private hospitals, offering treatments for blood cancers and non-cancerous blood conditions. Major NHS centres include The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre for Cheshire and Merseyside and specialist units at hospitals like University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and the Cambridge Cell Therapy Laboratory for the east of England. Patients can expect a multi-professional team, specialized facilities, and various services such as autologous and allogeneic transplants.
NHS Services
Regional Centres: The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool is the regional center for the Cheshire and Merseyside area, providing specialized facilities for stem cell transplants.
Specialist Labs: The Cambridge Cell Therapy Laboratory manages the entire process of stem cell transplants for the east of England, from cell processing to distribution.
Broader Availability: NHS England is expanding access to stem cell transplants for life-limiting blood disorders like thalassaemia, with the goal of curing the condition and avoiding lifelong blood transfusions.
Research & Expertise: Hospitals like UCLH have large stem cell collection units and a long history of contributing to transplant medicine, with international reputation in areas like finding donors for patients without a fully matched donor.
All I can say BM, is we’re headed that way. Add up the number of people on Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, federal employee and retirement plans, and other subsidized care. Medicaid, CHIP and Medicare are about 45% of the population.
I don’t know what is available in England today but it wasn’t available in 2018 when my husband was diagnosed with Amyloidosis. I only know that it wasn’t available for amyloidosis but that doesn’t mean it was not available for other diseases.
Keep in mind at that time there was no cure for Amyloidosis and treatment for it only extends the life of a person with it
In 2018 my husband was
told that he would probably die within a year without treatment but with chemo he lived four years.
@jimtoo I have been noticing that as well. What I have seen so far is that some medical treatments such as medically necessary eye injections are covered by traditional Medicare are not covered by Medicare Advantage Programs. Fortunately I have traditional Medicare with a Medicare supplement plan
As do we. I suspect that sometime in the not too distant future Medicare Advantage will become the primary choice with, perhaps, traditional Medicare as a option, maybe for an added cost or higher than a 20% shared cost. It will be a cost control measure, because MA plans fix the govt’s costs for providing the service and put more pressure on the plan providers to control the costs and level of service. That would likely also require that the MA plans be nationally standardized rather the current process which differs by state.
What treatments?
Is this question for me
No, KC.