Can anyone explain how Reform’s Insurance based health system will work?

[BurntBroccoli]

I’ve looked at the manifesto and it’s confusing? A lot of Reform voters are now saying Farage will keep the NHS for poorer people but if you aren’t, you will have to go private. A bit like dentists or vets I suppose.

What is point you are classed as better off? How will the “NHS” be funded if no one wealthy is paying in?

Anyone?

Insurance based systems are just another tax, they don't in themselves automatically make for better health services...

It does seem to me that the availability of choice in an insurance system makes a massive difference to the level of care and service you receive as a patient. Very few people would “choose” the average nightingale-warded, lengthy delaying and usually smelly and dirty NHS DGH if it wasn’t the only gig in town for most ailments.

The argument is that people are not in a position to make sensible comparisons about (say) where to have a stent fitted. But NHS provision itself is patchy - treatment received for cancer from a tertiary centre can be wildly more advanced than a remote DGH even within the UK, as a result of more expertise, better radiotherapy equipment, more clinical trial investigators doing clinical work, etc. It’s not as though we’re starting from a level playing field.

Insurance based systems are just another tax, they don't in themselves automatically make for better health services...

It's the genuine choice and competition between different healthcare providers that improves standards.

Nail on the head. OH eventually gets his chemotherapy, drugs and other treatments, but it's a hard slog to get the oncology dept "admins" to organise it.

He was due to start his first round of treatment in March 20, which was cancelled at last minute because of covid, but they forgot to re-arrange the start date, and then closed down the local oncology dept and moved it across the county border to a different hospital without telling him, so he was leaving phone messages asking what was going on, which were never answered - because they didn't re-direct the phone number! He eventually started treatment five months later after having to have all the tests again (skeletal x-ray, MRI scans etc) because they'd "lost" the results upon the move to a different hospital.

That set the scene really. He now has a monthly battle with them, of appointments being sent for the wrong thing on the wrong date - blood test appointments after the treatment date instead of before.

He'd be dead if he wasn't on top of it all himself because the dept administration and organisation is shambolic.

But ... but ... but ... small boats (ad infinitum).

We will become like America so it’s a no.

People in their 70s all with private health insurance?
My MIL and FIL (both with perfect health) both had private health insurance their whole adult lives, until, they got old and started getting health problems. Once in their 70s, they couldn't find an insurance company willing to cover them without a huge number of exclusions and costing ££££
In the end the vast majority of healthcare they ever received, was on the NHS despite the tens of thousands of pounds they spent on health insurance over the years.

It won’t work. It’s not worth reading the drivel they send out.

It’s about time we looked at a European model. It’s not as though the system we have at present works well. Everyone thinks the NHS needs more money and as long as they aren’t paying more that is fine by them.

They don't care about the NHS stuff. They don't think about the implications of it. Many haven't even read the 'contract' (manifesto) so don't know what they are actually voting for when they put that cross in the box. Those that have, are too busy gleefully rubbing their hands together thinking about how the changes will negatively impact the communities they blame for the country's loss of sovereignty to apply any thought to how the policies will impact their own situations and the situations of those they know and love.

It'll be just the same as the Trumpers in the US, they didn't give a flying shit about voting to squash DEI legislation until they realised the law didn't just apply to brown people.

No, and nor can they. Snake oil salesman.

i totally agree that we do have to be very, very careful with the "they'll never get in" discourse. Dismissing them is dangerous. Right-wing populism is having its moment (massively aided by the bots) and being complacent about it is a fools game.

Let’s take Farage’s name out. We need to consider other options and put our hands in our pocket to pay for change

It's very hard to believe that when you see Farage at Trump rallies...He's got them Brexit so he can start selling bits off. Trade deals didn't work because we wouldn't lower our standards, but he is in it for the long game with everything else.

Plus it's utter BS when you've actually read their 'contracts' (manifestos) or listened to anything the odious little turd has ever said. Tax relief on health insurance & private healthcare and "open to anything when it comes to replacing NHS with insurance based model". Every word out of his mouth is a filthy lie.

bylinetimes.com/2025/01/27/nigel-farages-latest-nhs-comments-spark-fresh-scrutiny-of-reform-uks-health-policy/

I’m coming to the conclusion that we need a dose of reform chaos to finally put them out of action whether that be as a reform mayor, large council or hopefully never, government. The media needs to be forced to challenge them and the only way I’d real life incompetence.

The problem with that is, that's what Germany tried with Hitler. "Oh let him have a bit of power, he'll soon fuck it up and it'll shut him up". He immediately passed the Enabling Act, and almost straight away, Nazi policies started being enacted and all opposition was stifled.

And yes, I hope that everyone planning on voting Reform is confident they are as fit and healthy as they possibly can be, they're looking after themselves as much as they can to minimise their risk of getting a serious illness that needs treating quickly, and they are completely confident they can afford the equivalent of the $23,968 per year that the average American family spends on health insurance.

People complain about their car and house insurance going up annually. Imagine being completely at the mercy of ever rocketing health insurance premiums.

I imagine some people are thinking "Oh my employer would pay it". Well I'm a small business owner and I am not going to be paying US level premiums for my staff - it would bankrupt us.

Reform IS Farage.

I have no issue with paying more for truly improved services (and would be ok with a European-style model), but if you think NF is going to do anything other than sell ordinary people down the river for the benefit of himself and his US buddies, well...

He is a grifter. No more, no less.

Judging by the bikers rally at Dover that idea has passed them by.

I don't think the Irish are particularly pleased with their European style healthcare.

It would have to get through Parliament
It would have to get through Lords
Then Parliament again
And then you would have to persuade the doctors to do this, bearing in mind they will be higher earners.

Not a fucking chance would this work.

Also in the run up to the election political interviewers will go through this with a fine tooth comb and make the candidates/party explain very clearly what exactly they are proposing.

It's is far from a case of putting something that sounds good out on their website and then being able to change the whole healthcare of the country.

If anyone thought this could seriously happen Parliament could pass a law before the next General Election to make this much harder.

Slogans to let the masses soak up over a pint to make them think they they will get world class, quick, the best healthcare whilst the liberal elite (many of whom are the fucking doctors, or parents or children of the doctors) die in doorways.

Will never happen.

I don’t think even they know.

Our country is hugely unhealthy and really quite skint. I can’t see a way of pushing it through without major setbacks to public health. We simply aren’t like the Mediterranean countries, or Northern Europe. They have smaller or healthier populations with a higher belief in personal responsibility and a more holistic approach to wellbeing and better food.

But equally the NHS is like a ball and chain around our necks and our country is increasingly becoming a life support system for the irresponsible and needy.

It’s all so depressing

I have noticed more left leaning people chipping in, on the Facebook comments recently but they are few and far between whereas Reform just all pile in with their stupid emojis and sound bites.

I really think Labour need to get their Comms sorted. Perhaps they need to pay people to respond to such comments as other parties seem to?

I truly hope you’re right.

I'm currently engaged in debate elsewhere about this - probably fruitlessly - and several people are dismissing the supporting comments as being bots. Well they could be, but it's a dangerous assumption. Judging my the numbers of posters and placards I have seen outside houses saying "I'm voting Reform" and "Make Cornwall great again" (yes really), it is not just bots.

There’s a reason a health insurance CEO was gunned down in the street in NY. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t because his company offers fair, customer-focussed service that is well-known for paying out when people need treatment.