AIBU to not be remotely bothered that Rishi has private healthcare

[MXVIT]

I'm really not - it's an absolutely ridiculous thing for us to be getting worked up about.

He's the prime minister - of course he has private healthcare. Leaders of the country need to be fit and well and therefore need the best healthcare money can buy - we can all agree the NHS is not that - and thats a separate conversation.

By that logic lets ban all childless babysitters, all dogless dogwalkers.

Honestly as a country I feel we're that addicted to getting ourselves into a frenzy over everything that we're focussing on the wrong things.

The narrative of "the poorest of society don't have this - so NO ONE CAN" is getting more and more common lately.

We might be a relatively wealthy country but we are not wealthy enough. We are the only wealthy country with a NHS. Everyone else has hybrids. This is what we need to move to.

We already have higher tax payers paying 30% of all income tax. People not wanting to work to avoid paying tax. Retiring early. They want the NHS though but too few are paying for it. At £165 billion a year, it’s too expensive now we have low productivity and tax take is falling. Those over 65 don’t pay NI yet they use the NHS most. Anyone paying Income tax over age 65 should pay NI. In fact anyone paying income tax should pay NI. It should not be a burden on younger people. We need reform and private health can help.

Possibly I’m not sure

I agree though that if they do a lot of the hassle will be taken out. When it comes down to it the actual medical service it can be as good, you might have the same consultants anyway.

But if NHS you’d bypass the wait, intrusion and low security

Yabu

those leading the country need to have some stake in making public serves work. We know they’re all selfish as fuck in this government so best they have a vested interest.

The NHS should be sufficient to make sure anyone is “fit and well” for their job - PM isn’t the only job that matters

These people are multi multi millionaires, they will never use the NHS as we do.

Maybe though, they have to work on various NHS dept's for a week a year.

I believe Michael Portillo changed his opinions on benefits after having to manage for 5 days, in the same property, on the same money as the claimant, he did some sort of TV reality program a while back.

Of course Sunak has private healthcare, not surprised at all. In fact, everyone that can afford to go private should, so it relieves some of the pressure on NHS.

Exactly this!

See also private schools

@pifandHercule It does not do that. It just means staff are poached from the NHS making vacancies even more difficult to fill.

And private healthcare is subsidised by the state. It is the state training staff.

Yes this puts it better than I did

Yawn @Comtesse

This is a thread about the NHS so move your pro Tory propaganda to another thread or try to stay on point at least.

Remind us though - what exactly is Rishi’s definition of a woman?

People are about to lose large chunks of inheritance as people pay private. Instead of going to grandchildren it's going to American companies

Round here retirement area it goes to carers and nursing homes, the £1k a week costs eat up the inheritance

It’s the older persons money to spend as they wish. Care isn’t free and never has been - inheritance isn’t a right.

So why did Starmer answer it? They were both asked the same question and the impression we're left with is that Starmer is honest and open, while Sunak is not.

So why wouldn't he just answer it? What's the issue?

Have you looked at how much other countries spend?

This idea that we spend "too much" is not backed up by any evidence... there are 17 countries in the world who spend more per patient than us and they don't necessarily all achieve significantly better outcomes, which just demonstrates the relative efficiency of the NHS.

Germany spends $6,500 per patient. We spend $4,200. France, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Australia, Belgium and obviously the USA ($10,900 per patient) all spend more than us.

So it it any wonder the system is crumbling?

If that's the case then NHS contributions need to increase considerably. Mind you BUPA, Spire can only dream of contributors like this

What carers?
Fewer and fewer people are willing to do that kind of work for the money that's on offer, meanwhile we have more and more elderly people in need of care and fewer and fewer people willing to do care work
There is no one available willing to do the work of looking after these people even if they do have the money, many elderly people with dementia are so difficult to manage because of their behaviour that no one wants to look after them.

MaryMcCarthy it has nothing to do with anyone else. If Starmer were asked the size of his penis and decided to answer it it doesn't mean the Prime Minister also had to divulge such information.

I'm just describing how it looks.

Starmer answered the question. He comes across as straightforward and honest.

Sunak avoids the question. He looks evasive. We wonder what he's hiding.

I just wonder why Sunak would be so evasive given how it comes across? Is he just not a very good politician? He certainly seems very out-of-touch.

In theory, it's possible to not use the NHS and still want to better it for the good of the country you're meant to be leading. In practice, that doesn't seem to be Sunak's strong point.

I don't care what the PM does!
It's his business, I just want everyone who does need the NHS to be able to access it.

Sunak does not have a man of the people function, he only has a pampered rich boy function ☹️

i don’t give a damn if he’s “man of the people” (and what would that look like anyway?!) or pampered ponce.

Just as long he delivers.

I don’t give a damn whether my therapist has experienced what I have done; whether my doctor has same the conditions as I do; and so on

justbas long as they deliver

What the figures from abroad do not tell you is how the per patient sums add up, where the money comes from what’s included. No country has a NHS so you are comparing apples and pears. Germany has around 23 % input from private health insurance. The remaining 77% input from GDP is around the same as us - 11.5%. France pays its nurses less. We all have different systems.

People "not caring" about what the PM does is what got us into this mess.

Maybe it's time to pay attention? Maybe think more about who you're voting for?