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.

This!

Pretty little king Rishi with his lispy childlike voice
Without a functioning healthcare system mate there will be no one well enough to do the grunt work that keeps you and your friends in luxury
The days when there was a plentiful supply of young healthy people coming through are gone no one can afford to have children, no one can afford a decent home, and now we are losing access to healthcare

Honestly, if the worst personal conduct issue anyone can throw at Sunak is that he uses private medical services sometimes but won’t admit it, may I remind you of the integrity black hole that was Boris Johnson as PM a mere matter of months ago?

I also don’t buy the idea that you can’t care or understand about a service you’re not solely reliant on yourself. Theresa May didn’t have kids herself but it would be patronising in the extreme to claim that that, by itself, rendered her unable of understanding or caring about education standards for the nation’s children

Don’t vote Tory and am not a particular fan of Rishi’s but I don’t care if he has private and assumes most of know he does. He is choosing not to answer because the inevitable questions will be “oh well then is that because it’s not fit for purpose etc.” as opposed to the questions he should be being asked about the NHS.

I am a huge advocate of the NHS who have saved me a few times. I have private through work. The two are not mutually exclusive.

Re children - Someone did try that didn’t they? It didn’t go down well

I can't afford private healthcare, but if I could I would do it. Because like it or not, we do live in a class system and I would rather have private health care and live, than not have it and die. As it is I can't afford it so will probably die on an NHS waiting list, as has already happen to some people I know. Devastating, unnecessary and I Will always vote left wing. But like with dentistry, I can sit on the NHS waiting list, never get seen and end up with preventable dental issues becoming extractions down the line, or I can pay for private dental and get seen now if there is any way to find the money from (getting into debt either through borrowing or not paying for something else). I don't blame any politicians for having private healthcare in this current climate, they are paid a wage that means they can afford to and in the current climate it is the sensible and responsible thing to do if you can afford to. But I don't think Keir Starmer or Angel Rayner paying for a dental plan and private health insurance means they are going to be bad for the NHS, that will be down to labours policies.

With Rishi Sunak, I think if you're going to support the destruction of the NHS and lead a party who have created this health care disparity and health and dental crises, then at least stand by that and say you go private yourself. What I hate about him is how he snakes his way out of every question and won't stand by any decision. I don't have to agree with the system or the decision, but I really wish we could have politicians who just told us straight sometimes. KS also bad for this, not giving straight direct answers. I hate it! Much prefer Angela Rayners occasional moments of unfiltered potty mouth. I wouldn't judge her for having private plans though because what is the choice right now? If you are able to, do it.

I wish that some people I know could have afforded to go private instead of suffering with abscesses and extractions and late diagnosed and too late diagnosed serious conditions (cancer, sepsis, etc.) and in some cases death.

No-one gets the vapours about government leaders in other countries getting the best care. In USA I think presidents get regular medicals. Mrs Biden has just had a dodgy thing taken off her face. Trump got antiviral medicine with covid, daresay Johnson did too.

Neighbours friend retired NHS her OH retired police, both nip off for private treatment as and when they need it.

Its a non issue. Media politics.

No one is getting the vapours about him getting the best care. Why can't he just be honest about it though?

There'll be lots of public services that senior politicians never use.

How about if a PM didn't have children, they'd never have experienced what a parent experiences re state schools. Does that mean they couldn't work on the education system, wouldn't be allowed a job in the education dept?

Should a chancellor be barred from being in that job because he's never had to complete a self assessment tax return?

Should someone be barred from the Ministry of Defence if they've never served in the armed forces?

Of course not, it's madness to suggest that, as they have an entire department of junior ministers, civil servants, etc who are the ones doing the research, policy planning, etc.

Exactly. That's why decent public services are everyone's business, not just those who can't afford to go private. The fact is that the happiest countries are those with the least inequality.

@PiccalilliPops

I am a huge advocate of the NHS who have saved me a few times. I have private through work. The two are not mutually exclusive.

We're the same. OH has incurable but treatable cancer and is costing the NHS tens of thousands of pounds, for which we are extremely grateful, but despite not having private healthcare, he's still had to "go private" for a couple of things. The main one being a spine/back MRI scan where he couldn't tolerate the NHS MRI tubes (tried 3 times) because of the length of time (over an hour in the tube) and him being claustrophobic. Oncologist insisted on an MRI scan before he'd start treatment and we were in a catch 22 situation, so we researched it ourselves and found a private provider who offered an "open" sitting scan which cost us around £1500! It was a bit of a faff and lots of to and fro between us, the private firm and the oncologist as to exactly what he wanted and how to get the scan results to him, but we got there in the end - the oncologist had never done it before and didn't even know open sitting scanners existed! OH thought it was worth it just to avoid the stress and anxiety of more abortive NHS tube scans and to get onto the treatment!

Similar but not specific to education . Andrea Leadsom made a comment in an interview at the time of the 2019 Conservative leadership election that “I feel that being a mum means you have a real stake in the future of our country, a tangible stake”. She was taken aback at the strength of reaction and subsequently withdrew leaving the field clear for May.

In a life threatening emergency everyone gets sent to NHS there's no private Emergency departments. So private care is for everything else.
If we could afford it we'd have private healthcare too, I'd see a private GP, I only know of a couple near me (might not be around now as it's been ages), and they don't take NHS patients so don't bump any NHS patients off any list anywhere.

Before the NHS, some big employers used to provide healthcare for their workers, for exactly that reason, to maintain a healthy workforce! In the same way that many providing accommodation for the workers and their families, social clubs, holidays, convalescent homes, etc.

That's why a lot of decent employers provide private healthcare cover for their management and senior employees. Although people see it as a "perk", it's main aim is to get ill manager/senior staff back to work as quickly as possible, reduce sickness time off, etc.

Of course, the idea behind employers NIC was to partially fund the NHS so in theory at least, employers have "contracted out" healthcare to the NHS by virtue of paying employers NIC. So those paying for private healthcare are paying twice!

Agree- it’s jealousy.

bollocks. It is the absolute frustration of paying NI and tax and seeing the mismanagement by the government and NHS.

And if they are jealous? because they are ill, or sick, or need an operation and can't have it but he just gets what he wants because he's a rich fucker? That's understandable, no?

Frankly? of COURSE he should go private not use up NHS resources.

Yebbut your family contact private provider following 999 call. Someone like Rishi would have the private sector rally someone to attend the hospital, expedite everything. A famous person attended our A&E last winter Saturday night was in and out in less than two hours. Believe me he wasn't sitting in a chair in the waiting room

Thanks for the reminder. I have dc but I’m very glad the backlash was as such.

Jealous?
If by jealous you mean outraged that those who are tasked with running the country for the benefit of the people (the ones who do the real work, the essential workers) have instead run it into the ground and given all the money to their rich friends then yes I'm jealous

I think the current people in government appear very out of touch with the public. They constantly seem surprised at public backlash.

I don’t agree. But it was the wrong move to try and undermine a woman that doesn’t have children in this way.

@Badbadbunny If that is the case why was he too ashamed to say then?

Is it not more about the fact he has probably never accessed NHS services at any point as a patient?

I don't think anyone think the PM isn't entitled to fast service as you say, he has a very busy and important job but he hasn't just accessed private healthcare this is likely all he has ever known.

@Archibaldleach nailed it in my opinion.

And why shouldn't people be jealous if private healthcare is out of their reach because we live with a low wage economy by design, and public healthcare is more and more out of reach - also by capitalist design.