Would you pay to see the doctor?

[justasking111]

The IMF has said that the government will need to raise taxes. One way is NHS charges. This will be means tested I should add. It's being covered in the financial times, telegraph and others but hidden behind a pay wall. I don't know how to archive, if anyone else does please do.

I don't know which one I would choose, it's a thorny problem.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2025/07/25/raise-taxes-working-people-charge-for-nhs-imf/

Onlyontuesday · Today 10:39
I wish the triple lock wasn't so untouchable.

It isn't if you live in certain countries overseas. Australia is one.

I'm on benefits but would pay.
I have a long term spinal condition ( I do work but cannot do as many hours as I used to) and am a solo parent.

If paying meant that I wasn't looked at like a scrounging layabout then I absolutely would.

I hate the stigma attached to being on Universal Credit.

I'm awaiting a referral for the spinal team and have so far had to wait 6 mo tha to even be allowed to ring up for an appointment. Was told I couldn't ring again to see if there were any until November.

Meanwhile, I have to speak with Universal Credit every few weeks and explain all over again why I only work the hours I do. I can tell I'm not taken seriously or believed when I say I'm still waiting on a referal, even with the proof

I can't afford private but would pay something in between if it means I could get someone to actually take me and my condition seriously, and not think I'm just trying to shirk work

I couldn't afford to pay to see my doctor. Most of my appointments are telephone appointments as I cant get a face to face routine appointment.
And think its wrong to be told to call at 08.00 for a same day appointment when these are supposedly for people who urgently need to see the doctor that day.
I do however think people should be charged for missed appointments. And after 3 misses without cancelling should be removed from the surgery list.
The system is broken but making it a two tier system only accessible by the rich won't help.

What about people with Chronic illnesses?

It would certainly help if there was a fine for missed appointments, people might think twice then about not turning up.

I would definitely pay to see a gp. In the past year I have tried on numerous occasions to see a gp and there has been no appointments left despite me calling at 8am. One time I had a bad chest infection, temp and felt generally too ill to do anything and I was told I would need to make a 40 min drive to a walk-in clinic in another town. When I got there the clinic had been closed down due to lack of funds.
I resorted to using a private online gp- this isn’t ideal but better than nothing.
I would 100% pay for a face to face consultation

The 'world' is not America's problem to sort out. The 'world' is not the UK's problem to sort out. Both have their own citizens to sort and take care of first before handing out money to other countries. When you are broke you dont go handing out money to strangers when your own family needs taken care of. Charity begins at home.

The 'world' is not America's taxpayers problem to sort out and for Americans to keep giving out their tax payers dollars to when they have their own people who need help in their own country and cant get it because hundreds of millions are being spent in other countries.
The same applies to the UK. The people in our own countries need to be taken care of first before our money is given to other countries. If your own family is in need ,you dont say, tough luck, I am giving money out to a stranger and you can do without. Charity begins at home.

I wont start on FEMA here because that is too much to go through and Texas warnings were there but the incompetence of some agencies beggars belief. But I will say, what an absolute shambles (nothing at all to do with money cuts).

I've also had to see a private GP for the same reason before now due to there being no appointments for 5 weeks.
I have severe asthma so a chest infection can quickly escalate into a full blown asthma episode for me if not treated promptly.
It's disgraceful really and the whole system needs reform. 😏

A GP at our practice had worked in SA for years. Came home to care for her mum. 10 years ago she told me to get a private health policy. So I did was dead money until two years ago. I've been checked for spinal issues found scoliosis.
Two years ago

. Last month found both hips arthritic which NHS denied twelve months ago after x-ray. Private x-ray showed bone on bone so I'm going in for an operation new hips NHS said physio would fix it so I paid physiotherapist fortnightly for a year. Result two walking sticks, unable to manage stairs.

I really believe employers should set up a private healthcare system for employees. It's a lot cheaper than individual policies and prevents excessive sick leave.

There will be no NHS at all if reform get in anyway .
People don't realise what scumbags they are. Or maybe they do and are just as scummy as them.

Absolutely no - slippery slope to a system that works for the wealthy and before you advocate for a system that you can afford you need to think how that works for the millions who will avoid getting help or land in A@E
we have a growing working population using food banks, trying to afford high rents as they will be renting in old age as they can’t afford to buy, higher food bills, old people not putting the heating on living in one room ! what on earth are those of you saying yes thinking 🤔 You must live in a comfortable bubble unaffected by price increases… wake up if you have money to spare I suggest you look around you and maybe you can volunteer to pay a higher personal tax if you have so much cash to spare for GP appointments

That's unfair. Posters on here have scrimped and saved to get private tests, see consultants for their children because of health board constraints. It's not just wealthy people. What about people whose employers provide a health package for their employees.

I know grandparents who've helped out private healthcare wise.

No. NHS free appointments are vital in order to allow people to have the ability to see a doctor when they need to. One of the bedrocks of the NHS.

Nobody is saying that - BUT to have the ability to make a CHOICE (even begrudgingly) means you are more privileged than those who have NO MEANS to even think about making that choice. Families who have yo send their kids to school in dirty clothes - and the school do their washing. Families who can't afford to buy a £20 pair of shoes when their kids school shoes break so the kids spends months wearing shoes with holes in them. People who have no clue where their next meal is coming from as @Ferrit6 says more people going to food banks whilst they work 40+ hours a week. So many deprived families who are houseless and forced to share 1 room for the whole family. They could never even think about having the ability to save for private treatment - let alone actually doing it. Plus deprived people actually have more need and worse outcomes, the gap between deprived people's life expectancy and non-deprived is on average 19 years. Most deprived quintile, 65‑74-year-olds had four or more conditions compared with 16% in the least deprived areas. Black women are 4x more likely to die in childbirth and have way worse health outcomes as do the majority of BAME groups. Also the ability to have family to help out again means you have more options and the ability to access options (even if you have to sacrifice something etc) deprived groups do, most deprived people actually need to send money to their grandparents, parents etc who are living in worse off conditions than them. Also if you work in a job high paying enough or formal enough that they'll pay for private healthcare, lots of jobs (retail, cleaning, driving) will never offer that, and deprived groups are more likely to work jobs which don't offer that because they have worse education outcomes, more likely to be in care and more. They're aren't actually that many jobs that do that (so if yours does it's likely in a corporate field) which on average earns better.

I'd pay for gp and healthcare if wasn't taxed via wages for it.

Yes. I pay for the dentist I pay for opticians - more than most because of my conditions. I pay for my many prescriptions for chronic illnesses - but luckily can use a yearly prescription.

For my children I have paid for podiatry, for private dermatology, constantly for specialist products to help with their chronic illnesses when they flare (not I do not get any state help with this)

I am in favour of a co-pay system and I think everyone should pay some amount.

Nothing in life is free - we pay for clean water, for food and shelter. Everyone should expect to contribute in some way for what they take.

Having free healthcare resources is the Tragedy of the commons:

The tragedy of the commons describes a situation where individuals, acting independently and rationally in their own self-interest, deplete a shared resource, even when it is clear that doing so is collectively detrimental. This happens because each individual benefits from using the resource, but the costs of their overuse are shared by everyone, making it rational for each person to overuse it

That is what happens - people use it badly/inappropriately because it is free and this damages it for other people.

This is why everyone must pay, no exceptions

Yes because I pay into a cash back scheme so would get the fee back anyway.

And yet somehow people seem to manage in countries where they do pay to see a GP.

No, they don't. People die. In the USA people can work three jobs none of which pay medical insurance. They won't go to a doctor because they can't afford it. In the UK we have forgotten that this used to happen.

As @Efrogwraig said those countries have horrendous levels of preventable deaths (because people cannot access healthcare when the problem is small), they cannot get precentable tests for cancer (e.g smear tests), they have massive gaps in life expectancy. Many people cannot access vaccines, many people die and get very sick. Lots of disabled people ration medication, it is incredibly common is the U.S and other places to ration insulin which is dangerous. People have worse health outcomes espeically marginalised groups, BAME groups etc. Yes the UK'S health outcomes are not perfect but its a hell of a lot better, as it should be because healthcare is a human right no matter whether you can afford it or not.

In the US, yes, but once again we're not talking about a US style private system. There isn't horrendous levels of preventable deaths in Europe because of co pays (and things like vaccines and smears are free in my country)

Another option is for companies (of a certain size, say 20 employees plus) to have to provide occupational health care services. This would free up appointments in the NHS because workers would be going to occupational health rather than nhs GPs. And it would be in employers' interest to keep their workers healthy as that means less sick leave so preventative care like regular health checkups could be provided,spotting issues before they get expensive.

@TheLivelyViper most city firms (consulting; banking, law firms) offer us free unlimited GP appointments both online and in person at clinics. Some banks have a GP in the building. We already don’t go to NHS GPs any more and get much better care, appointments are up to 30 minutes and you can make 3 consecutive appointments for example. Private healthcare is a game changer sorry to say

We ARE paying - we're paying through tax, and out of pocket, and with time. It would be better if it were more organised and if it were somehow possible to acknowledge politically that the NHS cannot possibly meet modern needs never mind wants.

As a number of posters have explained, those with means opted out some time ago.