To be terrified by Farage/Reform's plans to replace the NHS with "an insurance based model"?

[Gillemeow]

It seems to have been largely overlooked by the mainstream media but Nigel Farage on the debate last night was clear that he thought the NHS should be replaced by an insurance model.

Given that most of the country are already crippled by the current cost of living crisis, how does he expect people to pay this extra cost? If employers have spare cash to do it (as in France or the USA where many get insurance via their employer), why aren't they giving decent wage rises?

His plans would penalise people with existing health conditions. And which sex would end up paying more.for insurance? The one that gives birth and goes through menopause or the one that doesn't?

In France contraception is only free if you're under 26. What if you're not? Will the right wing's phrase of choice on children change from "don't have children of you can't afford them" to "don't have sex if you can't afford it"?

He's not going to get elected though, is he, so why worry about it?

Reform won’t win the election so there is no need to be “terrified”

I am not a Farage fan but, for once, he speaks sense. The NHS has been a financial failure for decades, so an insurance system is essential ASAP.

What a bizarre thing to be worried about, Reform have zero chance of getting in. You might as well worry about what mermaids think.

The Monster Raving Loonies are proposing pins for everyone to reduce inflation, and reducing pregnancy from nine to seven months. They have as much chance of getting into power and implementing their policies as Reform does.

This 100%.

The reform party might get an mp but there is no way he will be prime minister I'd put the fear out of your mind.

Well the nhs isn’t working in the current climate so something has to change. And why not have some sort of insurance policy? Is it fair that the celebrities that are millionaires can in theory use the nhs and many do!

According to polls Farage performed best in the debate last night. Other polls show them in third place, and only 2 points behind the Tories.

And people said Brexit would never happen. Plus the mainstream media keep giving him huge amounts of airtime, considering his party had zero/one MP.

Not sure how he can claim to be a patriotic but want to destroy the NHS.

It might be his personal opinion but I've just checked the Reform website and it's not official policy.

They won't be forming a government though so I'm not concerned.

He has also been saying the same thing for many years. He's a grifter.

The NHS was in very good shape in 2010. Ranked no 1 in the world.

They'll be lucky to even get one MP in parliament. I really wouldn't worry op.

This this this. It's all electioneering, they have no way of knowing how that system would work and are just saying whatever they can to get as many Tory voters to go with them as possible. And they're shit at it.

Nigel has always attracted a disproportionate amount of media coverage. I’m happy that he’s running for Reform as votes for them will come from people who normally vote Tory.

People who watch the debates have largely made up their minds about who they are going to vote for before the election was even announced. Also look at the demographics of the audience - mostly Tory/Reform voters.

Do you think it’s ‘terrifying’ to be French, Spanish or German?

This and there is already an insurance model within the NHS. I recently had a minor op that wasn't worth using my private insurance for. It was through the NHS but dealt with in a private clinic

The NHS is on its knees so something has to change

I don't think you can go from an NHS system to an insurance based one. In other countries employees offer medical insurance. Are they suddenly going to start to here or will all the cost be borne by the public?

Farage is all bluster no substance.

He can easily afford private healthcare so why worry about the NHS

I wish he was asked how he is proposing to do it and how he would fund it.

They won't get in but I'm hoping they will be successful enough to put the wind up both Labour and the Tories so they won't take our votes for granted anymore and realise the country is fed up of being shafted over and over again

Unless of course Reform and the Tories form a coalition

Perhaps we could leave the EU again. That was going to release £350m a week for the NHS, wasn't it? A total mystery why we are struggling so much now.

This is a bit strange. Is the French model unpatriotic?

It seems an odd criteria to apply

Plus it’s unlikely they’ll get many MPs anyway and why terrified of a French type model? I’m not sure it’s the change that’s needed but they seem to do well

Your choice in the current system.

Imagine if it was for an essential operation or childbirth. You have to weigh up the cost of an epidural against taking a decent length of maternity leave.

I agree. I think the NHS should be a core service: maternity, kids' health, A&E, cancer treatment etc and everything else should be covered by insurance. It still wouldn't be perfect but it would help to create more funding and hopefully less NHS red tape (though there's a possibility that insurers would create more - it would need to be looked at very carefully).

In other countries if you can't afford your own insurance or it's not covered by your employer, you have a state insurance, so it wouldn't be any worse than now, and could be much better.

So if you want a hip replacement, your insurance pays for it in a decent period of time, rather than waiting for three years for the NHS to do it - too late.