Pay for your NHS

[Westdene Seagull]

Trident or NHS, NHS or Trident .... hmmm .... difficult one !

Scrap Trident and use the savings on the NHS and there would be no need for some ridiculous "subscription" fee.

 

[Biscuit]

And paved the way for Blair and his cronies to all but bring this country to its knees, and send lots of brave youngsters to their deaths overseas.

Nonsense.

 

[bWize]

It's just an opinion of someone who doesn't even really have a say.. Who cares? Never going to happen!

 

[Superphil]

When I left school and started work income tax was around 30p in the pound (that's 30%), students got grants to go to university, dental/optician and some prescriptions were "free". Now income tax is 20p in the pound, so is that where the shortfall is? Successive governments have favoured indirect taxation and reduced personal income tax rates, but have they gone too far, are we now seeing the error of these policies?

 

[Westdene Seagull]

one assumes people would at least read the first paragraphs to discover who and what is suggested. It a Labour peer (tax status unknown) who's suggesting the same model used for fire and police funding. personally i dont like it much but someone got to start thinking how to continue to fund the NHS because its bloody expensive.

Its a former labour health minister actually.

And lets remember he belongs to a party that want to spend BILLIONS on an ID card. Taking advice on financial priorities from Labour would be like taking advice from the Tories on council housing.

 

[Norman Baker suck my lozenge]

Over a grand a month in tax and NI,I think I contribute quite enough thank you very much.

 

[Creaky]

The biggest problem with the NHS has been the advancement in so many areas related to medical procedures and drugs that have resulted in longer life expectancy which in turn has called upon yet more resources. In real terms the NHS now costs ten times what it did in 1948.

Nearly 6% of everyone employed in the UK works directly for the NHS - add onto that figure all those workers in the various support industries such as pharmaceutical companies, equipment manufacturers and right down to workers in the energy industries supplying power, petroleum industry supplying fuels and textile industries supplying bedding and we must be approaching 1 in 10 of those in work!

If you divide the cost of the NHS equally amongst those in work the figure comes out at over £3,500 each.

I don't know what the answer is but in the end no matter how it is collected we will all have to pay more for the NHS in the future than we do now or the level of service being offered will have to be reduced.

 

[Footsoldier]

Regardless of the rights and wrongs of tax avoiders etc if it keeps the NHS afloat, protecting services and jobs, £10 a month isnt a lot to ask is it?

I'd make the drunks who turn up on Friday and Saturdays pay as it's self inflicted.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I'm not saying I agree with the system in France but contributions make up 70% of their health service. The remaining 30% is covered by a health insurance policy.
I do know of several instances where people have had treatment in France and it is extremely good. You choose when you have your operation, your xrays are given to you (it's your body, after all) and you can see a doctor within hours.
I have had treatment myself a couple of times on holiday, paying 15 euros to the doctor and paying for the prescription at the pharmacy. I kept the receipts and claimed back 70% of the cost (holiday insurance had an excess of £50) from the benefits people at Newcastle.

 

[father_and_son]

Are you saying everyone who works in this country and pays tax and NI wouldnt miss another £2.50 a week going out at source?

As I said we can debate the rights and wrongs of it but its less than the price of a pint a week to save the NHS, as Phil points out £4billion a year is a lot of money, think how much good it could do within the NHS?

What would be the alternative scenario if the NHS went to the wall?

No... I probably wouldn't miss/begrudge another £10 coming out of my salary every month.... However, as a separate taxation, there would need to be an army of extra people dealing with it. Why the f*ck would anyone with a brain suggest raising money through anything other than income tax? Oh yes... Politicians are too f*cking scared to admit to the electorate that they need to raise more money to fund services - therefore typical of a New Labour peer to suggest another "stealth tax" just like they kept doing through the Blair/Brown years.


Some politician needs to be brave enough to spell it out like it is... we need £X from everyone to fund the services we want to keep and stop pretending that our tax system is a low cost airline and hiding all the f*cking costs by charging for stupid, made-up extras and advertising a low headline price that no-one gets!

Let's collect all that money we need in one nice easy method that is fair and proportional (We can make it Income Tax or, possibly, Sales Tax? - the only question).

Then make the system as simple and straightforward as possible so that we don't need to employ a ridiculous number of people administering the system (and so wasting money) and also the less complex the less loopholes you leave.

Let's set a high threshold so that we don't have to employ two people - one to take the money in tax and another to give it back as tax credits) and let's set that threshold in such a way that children, partners, pensioners, etc are all accounted for.

Let's not pretend there are any ring fenced "National Insurance" payments for the NHS by having multiple payments.

 

[edna krabappel]

Why are the Welsh & Scots getting free presciptions when we still have to pay? Cutting that benefit would keep costs down.

Because governments have spent many years trying to suck up to them.

Given that life expectancy in Scotland is one of the lowest in Western Europe, I suppose they're statistically not claiming their free prescriptions for as long...

 

[Spicy]

Because governments have spent many years trying to suck up to them.

Given that life expectancy in Scotland is one of the lowest in Western Europe, I suppose they're statistically not claiming their free prescriptions for as long...

Aha but do they have more of them in the short time they are alive?

 

[edna krabappel]

Aha but do they have more of them in the short time they are alive?

Probably, in between smoking 40 a day and glugging Buckfast by the litre

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

One assumes the person behind this idea some wealthy upper class toff

You mean a tory?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

No... I probably wouldn't miss/begrudge another £10 coming out of my salary every month.... However, as a separate taxation, there would need to be an army of extra people dealing with it. Why the f*ck would anyone with a brain suggest raising money through anything other than income tax? Oh yes... Politicians are too f*cking scared to admit to the electorate that they need to raise more money to fund services - therefore typical of a New Labour peer to suggest another "stealth tax" just like they kept doing through the Blair/Brown years.


Some politician needs to be brave enough to spell it out like it is... we need £X from everyone to fund the services we want to keep and stop pretending that our tax system is a low cost airline and hiding all the f*cking costs by charging for stupid, made-up extras and advertising a low headline price that no-one gets!

Let's collect all that money we need in one nice easy method that is fair and proportional (We can make it Income Tax or, possibly, Sales Tax? - the only question).

Then make the system as simple and straightforward as possible so that we don't need to employ a ridiculous number of people administering the system (and so wasting money) and also the less complex the less loopholes you leave.

Let's set a high threshold so that we don't have to employ two people - one to take the money in tax and another to give it back as tax credits) and let's set that threshold in such a way that children, partners, pensioners, etc are all accounted for.

Let's not pretend there are any ring fenced "National Insurance" payments for the NHS by having multiple payments.

Agree with this.

 

[Superphil]

You mean a tory?

Of course, there aren't any Lib Dems or Labour members who'd, oh.....

 

[pastafarian]

I'd make the drunks who turn up on Friday and Saturdays pay as it's self inflicted.

Dont forget the smokers.
And what about rock climbers who get hurt?Thats self inflicted.
Drug users should pay too.
Anyone that gets a STD should pay.
People that get hurt playing sports......no need for it.....stay indoors.......they should pay too.
Cyclists that get run over should pay......they could take the bus instead.

anyone else?

 

[edna krabappel]

I'd make the drunks who turn up on Friday and Saturdays pay as it's self inflicted.

What about Tuesdays?

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Only additional charging I'd like to see in the NHS is for people who don't turn up for appointments. Costs the NHS a fortune.

'Figures have suggested that more than twelve million GP appointments are missed each year in the UK, costing in excess of £162 million per year. A further 6.9 million outpatient hospital appointments are missed each year in the UK, costing an average of £108 per appointment in 2012/13.' (Source: NHS England)

 

[Footsoldier]

What about Tuesdays?

You know perfectly well Edna what I mean. Look at the stats regarding Friday & Saturday nights with the amount of drunks that fill A&E.