NHS satisfaction...

[vetran]

If they haven't got any money how are you going to charge them?

They will stop coming.

[WTFH]

They will stop coming.

I can't work out whether you're referring to foreigners or the poor.


Is the only reason anyone comes to the UK to exploit the NHS?

Or are you saying that if we don't treat those who can't afford it, then they die, so they're not going to come back for more treatment.

[Snooky]

It needs reorganising, it pays over the odds for medicines & services

This is just nonsense, certainly about the medicines. The NHS has huge bargaining power when it comes to pharmaceuticals and manufacturers agree reduced prices for guaranteed volumes.

[Zigenare]

They were discussing the US system on LBC and a lady did a very convincing sales pitch on medicare gap (USA option) until Nick Ferrari found out (from a researcher) that the average customer paid >$500 for the gap payments. For me the one statistic that convinces me is that 50% of bankruptcies are medical related. Your partner is dying and you end up bankrupt.

Just charging those not eligible will help.

My other half's Aunt and Uncle in the US are still paying the medical bills for their son who died with bone cancer 15 years ago - they get a nice little reminder every month as the money is taken from their bank account.

Surely some sort of "Nursing Service", "Surgery Service", "Hospital Service" and "Aftercare Service" with a "Management Service" overseeeing can be put in place and funded from a central pot? An over simplification I know but surely something along these lines can make the individual areas more efficient and manageable.

[vetran]

I can't work out whether you're referring to foreigners or the poor.


Is the only reason anyone comes to the UK to exploit the NHS?

Or are you saying that if we don't treat those who can't afford it, then they die, so they're not going to come back for more treatment.

Health tourism, low balled at £300 million a year, anecdotally its much higher.

[d000hg]

Health tourism, low balled at £300 million a year, anecdotally its much higher.

One of those things people like Farage like to bleat on about which are ultimately not very expensive, especially when you consider how much it costs to prevent it (how much is it costing per Rwandan deportee?)
It's more about principle and emotion than cost.

[Zigenare]

Health tourism, low balled at £300 million a year, anecdotally its much higher.

Yep. It's been happening for years - used to be one of my Mother's jobs, wandering round the wards handing bills to the health tourists. Ask 'em how they're going to pay their bill and most of 'em clam up and "no speaky de English".

[vetran]

This is just nonsense, certainly about the medicines. The NHS has huge bargaining power when it comes to pharmaceuticals and manufacturers agree reduced prices for guaranteed volumes.

yes of course it is...

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/7...vercharged-nhs

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/a...ofen-year.html

Paracetamol made up £73.7million of the spend, being prescribed over 16million times, at about £4.50 a pack — roughly 15 times the price of a pack of paracetamol at supermarket Tesco.

[vetran]

Yep. It's been happening for years - used to be one of my Mother's jobs, wandering round the wards handing bills to the health tourists. Ask 'em how they're going to pay their bill and most of 'em clam up and "no speaky de English".

now they don't even ask.

[SueEllen]

Yep. It's been happening for years - used to be one of my Mother's jobs, wandering round the wards handing bills to the health tourists. Ask 'em how they're going to pay their bill and most of 'em clam up and "no speaky de English".

Well we could do what lots of countries do - you can't leave the country until you pay.

Or even better put them on the next plane out of Heathrow and ban them from entering the UK until they pay - though that would need a working immigration system.