NHS Insurance Voucher

[XB9S, BSN, MSN, EdD, RN, APN]

Just wondered what your thoughts / opinions about this proposal were

Healthcare organisations should compete to insure patients under a state-funded scheme which would radically transform the NHS, a think tank is proposing. Plans from Reform would see everyone given a £2,000 "voucher" each year, funded out of general taxation, to buy health insurance.

Competition between private firms and primary care trusts would drive down costs and improve choice, it argues.

Full Article here

Is this actually going to benefit patients or help develop the NHS as an organisation?

[ayla2004, ASN, RN]

Not sure that money will not be available to the NHS directly, but if things go wrong you can bet the NHS will end up covering and what is the patient has spent the money elsewhere would we not treat. 2000 is not enough to cover more than basic care. however if people were made aware of the costs of treatment would they like everything else be more selective about little choices.

[Whisper]

I think it sounds like a good system, it worried me slightly as we have enough trouble with people screaming post code lottery now... how will the headlines read when people are able to top up their health care package (if they can afford it ) rather than having to pay to go private for all their treatment.

The french model of heath care is very similar to this, and I was impressed by how easy it is to see the specialists you need and the whole system seemed to work very well.

But I'm not sure the system would work on this side of 'the chunnel'... would we really want to sacrifice the system we have which is not failing that quickly, to copy a french system which depite the great strides it has made in improving health outcomes, they still have one if the worst rates for Mrs A and other HAI's in the world.

Picking up the piece if the sytem failed would no doubt be a difficult and costly exercise (for the NHS and tax payers), I'm sure that's why a think tank is needed, it sounds like a great way for the NHS to develop, but if you needed more than your vouchers worth then i could see how problems, and a class system could develop.

The NHS was never designed to supply everyhting to everyone, but provide a free (at point of care) services for those in need, and for the last 60 years it has steadily been more and more abused, like the benefits system... something has got to give, or the whole system will crash!