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Original poster

What should the NHS not fund?

536 replies

Username721 · 15/03/2023 20:45

Saw a thread on IVF for lesbians and some people felt that IVF should not be for anyone on the NHS. So it got me thinking.

Is there anything you feel should be exclusively private treatment? The ones often debated are things like weight loss surgery, cosmetic procedures, treatment for avoidable illness such as smoking-induced ones, liver failure through alcohol abuse, drug rehabilitation…

Thoughts?

OP posts:
Blu3Salv1a · 21/03/2023 08:41

Sorry that was to midgemadgemodge

Aphrathestorm · 22/03/2023 11:41

Re:cost of abortion.

I dont really know about other countries.

I think it's free in scandanavia but you have to pay in France?

Aphrathestorm · 22/03/2023 11:51

I know this would be controversial but not so long ago we didnt use heroic measures to treat babies born before 28 weeks.

It costs millions and almost all are left with ongoing disabilities.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

General health
whatkatydid2013 · 22/03/2023 12:44

If you actually want to make a difference to the costs then limiting access where you statistically derive the least benefit makes sense. I don’t like it from an ethical point of view though as what it will look like in practice is things like not giving cancer treatment with the hope of keeping people alive 6 more months or two more years when you know it’s not actually going to get them into remission; not doing loads of interventions to try and save premature babies; limiting access to loads of procedures for people who are elderly or who have life limiting illness and are likely to die in the next 1/2/5 years (or whatever cutoff is set); not using the best treatment where a cheaper one is nearly as effective or similarly effective for most people etc etc

Based on various media reports Diabetes is the single most expensive disease in terms of drugs and so lots of investment upfront trying to stop people develop it would save a fortune in the mid-long term.

The stuff like stopping gender reassignment or breast implants and similar will be s fairly small number of people and likely have a minimal impact on the budget

Sugarfree23 · 22/03/2023 12:51

Gender resignment I have lots of issues with, you can't possibly be in the wrong body. You may not fit gender stereotypes. Which is a man made concept. But your body is you.

It should be treated the same as Anorexic, its a mental health condition that needs support but you'd never encourage an Anorexic person to diet or see themselves as fat, or overweight

lieselotte · 22/03/2023 14:29

Ages ago I said that the NHS should provide a central service and everything else should be covered by insurance, with a back-up public insurance option for those who can't afford private insurance or who aren't in employer schemes. I think it's very similar to many other countries' systems.

So A&E, cancer/life threatening conditions and maternity (and children) would be covered by the NHS.

Anything non-core would be covered by insurance. Or not. So it would be up to insurers to decide if they wanted to fund IVF, botched cosmetic surgery or tummy tucks.

Sugarfree23 · 22/03/2023 14:32

We have yo be careful with a semi private approach that it doesn't end up like NHS dentistry - finding one who's taking on new patients is like finding hens teeth!

lieselotte · 22/03/2023 14:36

FlyOnAWing · 16/03/2023 16:20

Anyone injured by horse riding or skiing. The two most dangerous sports there are, totally unnecessary to do, and self inflicted.

I doubt the NHS has to deal with many ski-ing injuries to be honest - perhaps the odd one in Scotland? Maybe rehab once someone comes home. I sort of agree with you, because I am judgey about ski-ing anyway as it's so bad for the environment but I don't think rehab is that expensive, and it is the sort of thing that will be covered by private health insurance (and the kind of people who can afford to go skiing usually have private health insurance with work).

lieselotte · 22/03/2023 14:36

Sugarfree23 · 22/03/2023 14:32

We have yo be careful with a semi private approach that it doesn't end up like NHS dentistry - finding one who's taking on new patients is like finding hens teeth!

It is a good point, but it seems to work with eyecare.

Sugarfree23 · 22/03/2023 14:55

It works with Eye care because everything the optition? (eye man) does is NHS, right up to he does the prescription.
The glasses are private, different qualities, styles, designs and the person helping you pick them is more like a shop assistant.

Dentistry is more like the Doctors. You don't really get better or different treatment based on price.

Idgaff · 22/03/2023 15:01

lieselotte · 22/03/2023 14:29

Ages ago I said that the NHS should provide a central service and everything else should be covered by insurance, with a back-up public insurance option for those who can't afford private insurance or who aren't in employer schemes. I think it's very similar to many other countries' systems.

So A&E, cancer/life threatening conditions and maternity (and children) would be covered by the NHS.

Anything non-core would be covered by insurance. Or not. So it would be up to insurers to decide if they wanted to fund IVF, botched cosmetic surgery or tummy tucks.

And what about those of us who, through no fault of our own, have chronic medical conditions which, though not life threatening, cause a whole lot of pain and require treatment (in my case severe arthritis which started as a child and which has required multiple surgeries)?? Are we just meant to pay through the nose for insurance, which will be astronomical in view of medical history? Talk about kicking someone when they’re down…..

XanaduKira · 22/03/2023 15:18

Sugarfree23 · 22/03/2023 12:51

Gender resignment I have lots of issues with, you can't possibly be in the wrong body. You may not fit gender stereotypes. Which is a man made concept. But your body is you.

It should be treated the same as Anorexic, its a mental health condition that needs support but you'd never encourage an Anorexic person to diet or see themselves as fat, or overweight

Completely agree and I'm still gobsmacked every day that it's treated in the way that it is, rather than seeing it as a severe mental health condition.

RosaBonheur · 22/03/2023 15:19

So by that logic you would fund rich people's IVF but not poor people's...?

RosaBonheur · 22/03/2023 15:23

Bunnyfuller · 15/03/2023 22:06

IVF if you’re then going to rely on benefits

So by that logic you would fund rich people's IVF but not poor people's...?

Bunnyfuller · 22/03/2023 15:31

@RosaBonheur pretty much yes. I don’t support people having children they can’t afford themselves. Needing funding to have a child you then need benefits to raise is lunacy, when funds are limited. It would be actively aiding someone to use more public money.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 22/03/2023 16:23

Anything non-core would be covered by insurance. Or not. So it would be up to insurers to decide if they wanted to fund IVF, botched cosmetic surgery or tummy tucks

Great ideaHmm my life long mental health
consitions will be non core l guess….🙄

lieselotte · 22/03/2023 18:03

It's what happens in virtually every other developed country. And guess what - they can see a doctor when they need to. They get treatment (more or less) when they need it. Although there might be different contact methods for private and public insurance. But we have the latter already...

Sugarfree23 · 22/03/2023 18:10

However health is funded, private, public, insurance it involves paying more and its not going to magic up more doctors, nurses or more appointments.

lieselotte · 23/03/2023 08:47

Sugarfree23 · 22/03/2023 18:10

However health is funded, private, public, insurance it involves paying more and its not going to magic up more doctors, nurses or more appointments.

Except that it probably will because they will be paid better and have better working conditions. Not immediately but certainly within the short term.

Back in the 1940s you couldn't get anything in the shops in Germany. Then they introduced the Deutschmark in West Germany and overnight the shops filled with products that everyone had been holding back. It's not quite the same situation but it shows that money talks.

Sugarfree23 · 23/03/2023 08:56

Money talks and might encourage more people into the NHS but it doesn't matter if its a part public part private or all public system it needs more money

Octopusmittens · 23/03/2023 09:01

Gender reassignment surgery should not be funded.

User0001a · 06/05/2025 21:28

This reply has been deleted

This has been deleted by MNHQ for breaking our Talk Guidelines.

Missey85 · 07/05/2025 06:21

Liver transplants for alcoholics they should go to people that deserve them

BluebellBlueballs · 07/05/2025 06:43

lieselotte · 22/03/2023 14:29

Ages ago I said that the NHS should provide a central service and everything else should be covered by insurance, with a back-up public insurance option for those who can't afford private insurance or who aren't in employer schemes. I think it's very similar to many other countries' systems.

So A&E, cancer/life threatening conditions and maternity (and children) would be covered by the NHS.

Anything non-core would be covered by insurance. Or not. So it would be up to insurers to decide if they wanted to fund IVF, botched cosmetic surgery or tummy tucks.

Great so long as people with people with pre existing conditions don't pay more insurance. Or do you think they deserve to pay more?

TheCountofMountingCrispBags · 07/05/2025 09:20

The NHS shouldn't mop up after cosmetic procedures undertaken abroad going wrong. If you go to a foreign country to get your teeth/fillers/arse lift and it all starts falling apart, go back to the country you got it done in and get them to fix it.