Helping the government save money

[Samdelila]

I think free prescriptions for people with certain conditions should be means tested. What else could the government cut to save money?

Are you saying I am too insignificant to try and come up with ways to help the country?

If we restricted free prescriptions to people who already qualified for benefits there would be no need to carry out extra means testing.

She could, and would, invest in her own health so we don’t need to pay for her to do this.

Well, we could try that if you haven't paid in for (say) 5 years, irrespective of nationality, you get nothing. Other than children. That would save money - although you might have more homeless. And people needing to beg or steal to live. 🙄

Good ideas.

No, I'm asking how you're going to present them to government? How did you arrive at that response to such a straightforward question?

Because I have no way of presenting these ideas to the government. So, I am insignificant but still believe I should be allowed to have theoretical discussions.

Whilst I'm a firm believer in the wealthy and privileged making their fair contribution to society, I think telling somebody that they can be made to pay several thousands of pounds in tax to the state every single month, but then told that they need to pay an extra tenner per prescription item when they need it (NEED it, owing to being unlucky enough to have to live with a serious lifelong health condition; it's not an exciting little luxury), because "You can pay for it yourself and you don't need a handout from the state" is a massive insult.

It would be a bit like your parents coming around as a surprise with a £250,000 cheque to give to you, to pay off your mortgage in full - and then you offer them a cup of tea, but tell them you'll have to charge them £1 each for the teabag, milk and cost of boiling the water, "because you can obviously afford it and these things aren't free, don't you know".

100% agree with this. The free meds should only be for that specific condition, not for every illness going. However I'm sure people will argue that having x condition means they are more susceptible to y condition.

So she's benefiting to the amount of £114.50 a year. Not sure you're going to realise the savings you think.

Any illness exacerbates my illness that is on the list - there's no way of separating them

I am astonished by the number of people who think we should give away c£120 to people who do not need it because it’s not enough money to worry about.

I think they should either be free to everybody or nobody. But your pal is contributing to the system more than most people so I find it really weird that you're so bitter.

Research by independent charities tends to show that free prescriptions reduce the overall cost of chronic illness on the NHS. Without them, people ration or skip their medication, get sicker, and require more treatment. It also costs the economy in terms of loss of productivity.

I'm also confused as to why you think people with a chronic illnesses are a better target for your campaign to save money than private LLs, AirBnB, Amazon, Starbucks et al, and MPs' expenses?

I’d far rather not have the condition I have than free prescriptions, thanks.
Don’t be so envious of the ill health some of us live with - it’s not a privilege or something special. I’d swap my free medication for good health.

You are misreading me. I used my friend as an example of the government spending money on something I don’t think they should be spending money on - in a bid to generate ideas about how the country could cut spending. I’m not bitter against her personally.

I’m not envious of her ill health. I just think we should not be giving freebies to people who don’t need them.

I never said people with chronic illnesses were a better target - they are just an example. I am interested to hear all suggestions for how the country could save money.

Having previously worked in a job that involved calculating the entitlement of a means tested benefit, it is complex and expensive and very time consuming- helping people complete application forms, requesting evidence, re-requesting evidence when it isn’t supplied the first time. Once supplied, checking the veracity of it, doing the calculation, sending the decision.

Then there’s the whole appeals process, not to mention re-calculating for changes in circumstances and having regular renewals of the award.

In amongst that of course, you have fraud investigations, prosecution etc. And not forgetting calculating overpayments and recovering them.

Still not complicated or expensive?

It's not giving away, the people have paid their fair share of tax. The NHS constitution is about providing comprehensive, free healthcare based on need, not ability to pay.

UK public sector spending on management consultants rose to a record high of approximately £3.4 billion in the 2023-24 financial year, up 57% from £2.1 billion in 2019-20.

This is an area where massive savings can be made, it increased massively during COVID and hasn't reduced since, it's also a major issue for the Government as using external consultants, means they have no in-house, knowledge and become reliant on external companies and large contracts, which I have seen first hand.

I don’t know. Stop subsidised childcare? Reinstate the two child cap? Stop free school meals?

Other than that, let’s just support each other. 😊

Reinstate the two child cap I can get on board with.

Capping private rents, extra taxes on Airbnb earnings, capping MP expenses, and doing away with second homes for MPs (wtf is wrong with a Premier Inn?), closing tax loop holes and forcing companies who earn over £XXX amount but whose fulltime workers need UC top ups to pay the UC back to the government will save far, far more money than taking insulin from diabetics.

If you want to reduce medication costs, lobby Big Pharma to start playing fair with their pricing. A ventolin inhaler costs a few pence to produce, but they charge the NHS £6 each for them.

I don't need to calm down, thanks. I think you need to educate yourself, though.

So, more ways of punishing the poor?

Why don't you just admit you're not interested in saving the government money, you just want to make sure the poor and disabled learn their place and aren't getting anything you're not?