To ask if you would pay for GP visits

[justanotherhappyflunkie]

Been talking with various friends who all agree they would rather pay a nominal sum to see a GP rather than the current system.

I have lived in a country that does this (free for children, disabled people, discounts for beneficiaries and long term sickness) and it was great. Same day appointments, good range of doctors, quick referrals.

The UK equivalent of this would be around £20 per visit.

AIBU to suggest it is the system that could help the NHS? prepares for a flaming!

For that reason I think I’m not too bothered about fi I h people.

I operate appointments and I too am relieved when I have a no show. Enables me to catch up and my job isn’t as Intense as GP surgeries.

‘Fining people’

It scares me so much. I'm on ESA and could definitely not afford to pay privately. I was financially stable. Before anyone comments on my inability to work, I worked extremely hard for the NHS for years but after a serious assault now suffer with a multitude of problems. Followed by a divorce from a domestic abuser, I'm just clinging onto my home. I can't afford to eat too much so my children do . Money is so scarce. Even my children ask how I'll be able to pay for them to see a gp and my honest answer is I'm not sure. How would it work? It's all very well everyone saying on here, yes I'd pay, but I bet you are the financially comfortable. Try thinking of those with no money.
Another case of the rich getting richer and the poore getting poorer. It worries me already knowing this is just around the corner.

To be honest, people who can work should be rewarded for it. It is then who pay taxes for your benefits. Whilst you might not like the fact people are better off then you, it’s necessary. I’m sorry for your situation but you probably wouldn’t pay. If you have equity in a house you are not dirt poor by the way.

You can’t eat equity in a house.

You can sell the house buy something cheaper to live in and use some of the equity to buy food which you can then eat

You can’t if your house is the smallest and cheapest available.

If i have to pay for a GP i expect to be seen on time. They are talking about this on Talk TV this afternoon.

I live in an expensive area. The cheapest house is still a lot of money. Getting money from assets is an important source of money when others dry up.

The flip side of guaranteeing being seen on time is that no appt ever takes longer than planned. So I assume that if in the last minute of an appointment the GP spotted a mole that looked like a cancer you'd be happy with no real explanation? If you revealed towards the end of an appt that you were suicidal you'd be happy for the GP to say 'sorry, out of time, come back tomorrow'?

Im merely pointing out that you should be careful what you wish for. If GPs wernt the gate keepers you wouldnt have that problem

I think the flaw is that there would probably be as many exemptions as there are for prescription chargs -so if large % are exempt from the fee, how effective is it likely to be?

also, my GP practice have annoying habit of making appointments, only notifying me via an app that I only use to order repeat prescriptions, then saying I missed an appointment that I had no idea had been scheduled.

We already pay for the GP, it's called National Insurance.

I think it puts up a huge barrier to people accessing healthcare and would effectively be the end of universal free at point of use healthcare in this country. I absolutely would not pay as I believe this goes against the founding principles of the NHS and would far from guarantee any sort of improvement in the service.

I couldn't afford it, I need regular appointments to monitor various conditions, but I'd be happy to see people who fail to attend without good reason, like hospital admission, fined

Selling a property means buying another and covering fees and costs associated with both. If you don't have the cash to do that then it really is a moot point.

@BabyOnBoard90
No. That’s not correct. Pensioners don’t pay NI regardless of their income. They use the services most, as you would expect. So millions pay no NI at all. NI they did pay when working paid for government expenditure at that time. NI is linked to pension qualification but not the NHS. Sadly we are a country that doesn’t understand taxation and expenditure.

Clearly the NHS needs reform. But we all pay for it already.

It is also not a hypothecated tax so it really is just extra income tax if you are below pensionable age. It's also why the government were lying when they said that the NI increases imposed last year were for health and social care as NI income just goes to the treasury like other taxation.

Ironically this is an incorrect and not compelling point.

National insurance is a contribution to the "national" welfare which health DOES fall under, one doesn't just contribute for themselves but for the collective. Hence why children can be treated. State pension qualification is of course different and not relevant to the discussion.

I worked at HMRC for a few years, so think I do have a fundamental understanding of taxation thanks.

HRMC doesn’t decide how tax is spent or make taxation law. I agree with @Eleganz and I was responding to an earlier post. It does matter if people think NI pays for the health service. As opposed to welfare. It doesn’t.

Yes I would as well, but when I saw an NHS dentist and paid I had to wait, I think the longest was about 45 minutes.

Private dentists can run more or less to time though, I haven't waited longer than about 10 minutes max.

I would pay. I do pay to see a private GP if needed. We have one in our town that operates from the same building as my NHS GP. I pay £55 for a 45 minute appointment.

I also think paying means less people would miss their appointments and people would be mindful when booking appointments.

My NHS dentist always runs to time. Never had to wait more than a few minutes.