NHS fee to double

Honestly, I have no idea how to fix the NHS.  Or I'd suggest it!   

I do think that digitalization would bring a huge cost savings in labor costs.  No more paper and time consuming referrals.

I also think a small copay for visits isn't a bad idea.  Nominal cost - £5 max.  But something to make people think before booking a visit.  But then part of me hates this idea as I wouldn't want £5 to prevent someone from booking a necessary appointment.

It's hard, isn't it?!?

Yeah, that doesn't seem fare. Work OR surcharge seems fair.

And if was an easy fix, it wouldn't stay "broken", right? 

Would you be as happy to pay it if you were working and paying through the nose in tax?   

I am (for those as they aren't abusers/freeloaders) and I do.

We have already established that you have had more from the NHS in the few years you have been in the UK, than I have had in my lifetime and that I have paid thousands more in taxes than you have.

The IHS fee is because foreign nationals have instant access to bill free use of the NHS when they arrive, even for their existing conditions and they will be a burden to the NHS, or if they are likely to be a future burden to the UK i.e. obese, arrive in theior 40s plus. The idea for the IHS being, that as most Brits pay in for years before they use the NHS then a foreign national should pay in a small bit too before they arrive, as they can register for bill free use of the NHS as soon as they arrive.

I can assure you that the Brits didn't want this IHS system either as it does not protect the NHS. On the consultation the government ran to see what the annual fee should be for the IHS, the results showed that many wanted this IHS to be thousands per year, with the highest being 15k a year.

I am (for those as they aren't abusers/freeloaders) and I do.

We have already established that you have had more from the NHS in the few years you have been in the UK, than I have had in my lifetime and that I have paid thousands more in taxes than you have.

The IHS fee is because foreign nationals have instant access to bill free use of the NHS when they arrive, even for their existing conditions and they will be a burden to the NHS, or if they are likely to be a future burden to the UK i.e. obese, arrive in theior 40s plus. The idea for the IHS being, that as most Brits pay in for years before they use the NHS then a foreign national should pay in a small bit too before they arrive, as they can register for bill free use of the NHS as soon as they arrive.

I can assure you that the Brits didn't want this IHS system either as it does not protect the NHS. On the consultation the government ran to see what the annual fee should be for the IHS, the results showed that many wanted this IHS to be thousands per year, with the highest being 15k a year.

Have I?  Yes, I've had two children.  But you have too, haven't you?   

I did pay quite a bit out of pocket for both though on things that were not covered by the NHS (approximately £1,000.  Not the end of the world, but still a substantial cost).  And we know everything my family has ever needed isn't covered by the NHS.   

Other than pregnancy, I've had roughly 5 visits to the GP.  In 8 years.  I don't think I've cost the NHS very much.

And we've done our part to end future costs with hubby's out of pocket vasectomy.   

LEGAL immigrants? Yes. Very valuable to a country's economy. They generally are law abiding, hard-working people looking to advance in life. Many are entrepreneurs who create jobs and help communities flourish.

ILLEGAL immigrants? Drain on the economy and a strain on the system (social services, law enforcement, medical treatment, etc) across the board.

There's a massive difference.

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You are so full of crap with regards to illegal immigrants. Do the research. They are not the drain that you believe they are, they often are forced into poverty while doing the jobs no one else wants. That's all I'm going to say because your comments repeatedly prove how narrow minded you are. Welcome to the UK as an immigrant, I hope you fully experience what that's like and realise you could be in exactly the same position as those pesky illegals if laws change and you fall outside the regulations now.

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Honestly, I have no idea how to fix the NHS.  Or I'd suggest it!   

I do think that digitalization would bring a huge cost savings in labor costs.  No more paper and time consuming referrals.

I also think a small copay for visits isn't a bad idea.  Nominal cost - £5 max.  But something to make people think before booking a visit.  But then part of me hates this idea as I wouldn't want £5 to prevent someone from booking a necessary appointment.

It's hard, isn't it?!?

My husband tells me they had a massive £12bn pound project to digitise the NHS that collapsed... Complete waste of tax payer money and resources. Government project bidding and results not required are a huge part of the problem

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You are so full of crap with regards to illegal immigrants. Do the research. They are not the drain that you believe they are, they often are forced into poverty while doing the jobs no one else wants. That's all I'm going to say because your comments repeatedly prove how narrow minded you are. Welcome to the UK as an immigrant, I hope you fully experience what that's like and realise you could be in exactly the same position as those pesky illegals if laws change and you fall outside the regulations now.

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"You are so full of crap". What an argument lol. You're very emotional about law breaking illegal immigrants for some reason. It's a pattern I've picked up on.

If the illegals don't like it in the UK or USA, if they're "being forced into poverty" (lol), they can go back to Romania, Syria, Afghanistan, or whatever 3rd world crap hole they came from. Not a single thing is stopping them.

And I'm a legal immigrant, my dear, so I don't think I have much to worry about. But should the day come that I'm "forced" to go back to the good old US of A, I'll be just fine.

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Now, now, kiddies!

Play nice!

So, just for my education:

If you have to go into the NHS, do they not have an online database that they check that says that you are eligible for care? I know in the USA when you check in to a medical appointment, you have to be in their systems as "live" with your medical insurance company or a government program.

Now, now, kiddies!

Play nice!

So, just for my education:

If you have to go into the NHS, do they not have an online database that they check that says that you are eligible for care? I know in the USA when you check in to a medical appointment, you have to be in their systems as "live" with your medical insurance company or a government program.

They do.  "The Spine".  But I don't think they are as good about using it and checking up as they *claim* to be.  Sirius assures me the UKVI system and the NHS system "talk" to each other to verify our legal status...  I hope it's true.  I'm not fully convinced.  But I tend to be a bit of a pessimist.   

Now, now, kiddies!

Play nice!

Always

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They do.  "The Spine".  But I don't think they are as good about using it and checking up as they *claim* to be.  Sirius assures me the UKVI system and the NHS system "talk" to each other to verify our legal status...  I hope it's true.  I'm not fully convinced.  But I tend to be a bit of a pessimist.   

I have a feeling they may be getting better because of how cash strapped some CCGs have become. But it will probably depend on where you live. The lack of ability to share records across CCGs without paper is astounding, along with the number of incorrect and lost consultant letters and similar. I fall into a patient group that has to use the NHS for management of complex problems and that's where it really struggles so I've seen a lot of people fall through cracks on support groups without enough support from family to help advocate.



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Oh my!

I also think a small copay for visits isn't a bad idea.  Nominal cost - £5 max.  But something to make people think before booking a visit.  But then part of me hates this idea as I wouldn't want £5 to prevent someone from booking a necessary appointment.

Yes, anything to keep people in check. My old insurance charged us $150 for going to the emergency room for something "not serious" enough to warrant getting admitted. That's a real deterrent for people to just drop by the ER every time they wanted to "just because" (hypochondriac perhaps?). And for those who are way below the poverty line who can't afford the £5, maybe they can get an exemption if they can show proof they really can't afford it.

But according to an online calculator, 18.5% of our tax pays for healthcare.  Plus the £400 a year NHS levy - it's a lot of money.  Again, I 100% do NOT mind paying for the NHS and while the system needs transformation - it is no where NEAR as broken as the USA system.  What does bother me is paying twice for being an immigrant.

Right... I missed that part about working immigrants paying healthcare tax in addition to IHS surcharge. I get you KFdancer. It should be one or the other, but not both.

I also think a small copay for visits isn't a bad idea.  Nominal cost - £5 max.  But something to make people think before booking a visit.  But then part of me hates this idea as I wouldn't want £5 to prevent someone from booking a necessary appointment.

You will pay a lot more than £5 a visit in other countries.  Try 60E a GP visit each time you or your children age 5 plus went to see a GP. 100E for each A&E visit. No cheap prescriptions, but capped at about 140E a month for each person. Plus a monthly fee to use the health service and taxes to pay. That's Ireland, but I doubt there are many countries where there is no fee to see the GP, or a medical to pass to get a visa. Why do you think the UK's NHS is so popular with foreign nationals and with Brits returning years later for retirement? 

Some wealthy EEA countries require their elderly to have private insurance too if they want some treatments/operations, as well as pay the monthly insurance to the national scheme.

Have you missed what has just been going on in Germany and their healthcare system?  Everyone pays monthly into their health system and pays taxes, but the higher skilled get to see a doctor quicker as their employers give them private insurance too and doctors can bill these for more money. The socialist party wanted to change this but only got about 20% of the vote in the election and scored their lowest vote in the last 40 years. While the talks were on with Merkel to form a coaliton to try to change this healthcare system, the polls showed that the socialist party has now dropped below the far right party AfD.

We see this in other western countries too with some lower skilled immigrants who won't be paying a lot of taxes to that country. They all have to pass a medical to get a visa, but they get less healthcare given bill free than a citizen of that country and that family need to buy private insurance too. They all pay for each visit to a doctor, even for children, as citizens have to do that too. Plus these immigrants can be charged a fee for each term, for each child they send to a state funded school.