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!

I would go as I have a health issue, but I would go to A and E instead and wait to be seen.

There is a major problem with charging. People who can easily afford it would be more inclined to visit. We have a shortage of GPs. We can’t magic any more.

This is such a bad idea.

It would force people to make their own decisions about symptoms - are they worried enough for it to be 'worth' potentially wasting £20, or however much it would be? Therefore the more £20s you have to potentially waste or lose, the more likely you are to have good health outcomes. And the fewer £20s you have, and the greater the needs you have to spread that money around (heating, eating, kids school shoes etc) the less likely you are to access healthcare, therefore the more likely you are to experience long-term poor health or death.

This is such an obvious outcome

This works perfectly well in other countries. What makes us different.

Yes, but private vets here charge outlandish prices compared with some other countries.

@CarlaH Someone in another country has posted about how it does not work in their country and lots of poor people do not get anything except emergency medical care.

I forgot also to mention that some GP’s have a policy of not accepting non fee paying patients during their busy times. Eg Early morning appts are reserved for people who pay. The thought process is that people have to commute to work while non fee paying/public patients don’t work and can attend during the day.

Buses do the same eg pensioners cannot use the bus for free until after 9am etc

Because that is how their system has been set up and funded. It's not how our system works. Our healthcare service is underfunded and demand outstrips supply. If tomorrow a select group (likely excluding those over 65s, chronic illness, those with certain disabilities, pregnant women, those under 18s, full-time students, those in receipt of certain benefits etc.) started paying a small fee to see their GP the money raised would be an absolute drop in the ocean and likely wiped out by means-testing admin fees anyway (and then wiped out again by the increasing costs of delayed presentations). A lot of appointments would be needed to fund more GPs.

I think if it remained free for children/students/people on benefits/the elderly (like prescription charges) I'd be happy to pay £20 per GP visits.

I agree that people paying would go more.
Someone has already commented saying they would like as they currently use a private GP as the appointment gives lots of time and she is not quickly rushed out as she is by an NHS GP.
NHS GP appointments are usually very short. They are not there to provide endless reassurance, just treat you and get you out. Those paying would demand more so GPs would be as busy as ever, and poor people with health issues would not get GP care.

If you're earning £50,000 you're hardly in the middle. You're in the top 10% of earners. It's your outgoings that are the problem

£1600 a month for childcare is ridiculous. For a start there should be subsidised childcare for all. Housing cost inflation is another huge problem creating inequality and social problems

And pregnant women/post partum women, forgot them!

I have to agree. Its not perfect anywhere.

The NHS is a laughing stock amongst most people where I used to live. Not the staff or their dedication but the idea that we've never payed for healthcare and its never going to change. Despite the world changing almost unrecognisably since it was first created.

@Girasoli students do not get prescriptions free unless on a very low income.

I would pay, I would also pay for an ambulance service

People that have to visit the GP a lot for certain conditions should get a cut price yearly pass so they were not really out of pocket.

That's just one country. Plenty of people say that it works well for their country.

Healthcare is not working here at the moment and probably won't in future either.

No it doesn't. Did you not read that we get up to 80% of the cost reunbursed? And this is the case even for unemployed/elderly etc? It takes around 2-3 days to be reimbursed by a mutuelle (the organisations that cover healthcare here).

No way. We already have a situation where those on means tested benefits are better off than some working people who are not on benefits. Charging for healthcare would undermine the health of the nation and store up future health issues which will be more costly to resolve due to a lot of people not on benefits not being able to afford the charges.

@CarlaH I can see my NHS GP the same day. It works for me.

That is because you can't just take one person's view and say it works for everyone. It is obvious that charging will have a negative impact on people struggling financially and those reluctant to go to the GP anyway especially for mental health and cancer symptoms.

There is a shortage of GPs. That is the issue that needs to be tackled. Everything else is just a way of rationing care.

No. I think this would put people off going to the doctors which could then result in problems not being picked up early enough creating more demand for healthcare services later down the line. If people had to pay then I think people would expect much more and actually could possibly put front line workers under more stress. Yesterday for example I had to wait forty minutes after my appointment time to be seen by the GP, not really a problem and I just sucked it up, if your asking me to pay then I would expect a far more efficient service.

No. I already pay for private health care and high taxes. The NHS is not fit for purpose and already is a manager heavy money pit.

And loads of serious conditions that once used to be managed in hospital clinics are now managed by GPs. It is GPs for example who see the patient with bipolar weekly who is having a relapse. Or see the patient with COPD that needs careful monitoring.

Ahh so because you can afford it its a good idea?

@Pottyaboutplants - I'm in Belgium. But family in France have a very similar set up.

I'm so sick of these posts floating political ideas on MN. What do you do for a living, OP?

To answer your question, it's unreasonable. The government have fucked the country left right and centre and those on the lowest incomes will not have access to good healthcare or dentistry, struggle for food, etc. Among those would be some of the front line workers everyone was busy clapping for in 2020 because the government won't pay them their worth. Happy to have cost the public millions for dodgy contracts with their friends during the pandemic though, happy for the public to be paying towards their subsidised lunches. It isn't OK!

What I would like the government to propose is how they can cut back on their own salaries and expenditure first and reroute some of those costs to the NHS also actually have worthwhile meetings within the NHS to overhaul it. Charge for missed appointments. That is the sign of good leadership and would be steps towards fixing the NHS.

They won't do that as they all aspire to be like Thatcher and privatise the lot to make money whilst screwing us all over. OK for them though as they don't use the NHS!