To think we shouldn’t have to contribute to soch if we don’t intend to use it?

[slozenger]

For example, I don’t want a state pension - so I should surely be able to opt out of soch based contributions percentage. And just pay a lesser amount to cover anything I do take advantage of.

There’s no such thing as a non NHS user. You may have private healthcare for elective surgeries, but where do you think you end up after a car crash, heart attack, stroke etc…

Nope, never heard of it in 67 years of living in all 3 mainland UK countries, multiple areas North, South and West in England.

Nae bother Margaret.

Why would any of those things happen to the OP? Sounds very far-fetched.

NI nowhere near covers the average persons NHS costs. You may be private now, but we're you as a child? If you have two children in a NHS hospital, you are unlikely to ever pay the cost of that back through NI contributions in your life time. Also, most complications that happen in private hospitals are blue lighted to NHS hospitals, would you be prepared to be denied that right?

I've just read all of OP's comments and conclude this post is a wind-up. Earns over £75k but can't think or spell, will never get run over by a bus, thinks anyone who's not heard of soch/sosh is being obtuse and will self-treat any ailments (good luck with a broken leg, OP).

Here's another cheery statistic a huge amount of NHS use is by people in the last 6 months of life!

Who knows what sort of health care any of us will need at that point in time.

But why, your rationale makes no sense? If protecting “low inc9me families” is important enough to ensure schools are paid for why not the pensions of poor elderly people? I don’t have kids, rarely drive and have private healthcare so I shouldn’t have to pay many elements of tax, but the whole bloody system would collapse if you allowed people to pick and choose. We all pay tax to support a functioning society and if you start trying to unpick it then it doesn’t work anymore.

That’s what I was saying when I was paying 60% taxes on my salary and the only time I used the NHS was to register at the GPs. Then 3 months before my 50th, I got aggressive cancer that only the NHS could help. Then, an autoimmune present from the cancer treatment that only an NHS hospital managed to control. All my contributions were used up in the space of 3 years. Never say never.

So op, you want to live in a free style economy.
Well there are plenty of countries which operate like that. Basically you pay for what you use.
If you chose to live in a society run more like the UK, you don’t get to cherry pick the aspects you like.
You are free to leave at any time.

Lol none of us will be having pensions like the current claimants we're all paying for. It is unfair.

You take advantage of living in a society where you don’t see bodies on the streets , begging rates are relatively low, children are educated to become doctors and nurses

out society is shaped by the social commitment we all make - to opt out you need to move out - leave the country

I always say to people who say they want no part of the European Union they should emigrate to some other country like the US or Australia. Like it or not, we are European in the UK.

At the grand old age of 63 i have never heard of SOCH. It's always just been national insurance contributions here. Chip shop is the chippy.

is soch the same as pench?

Pench and soch ... got to be the same Op.

They are all very common occurrences. Why wouldn't they happen?

Do tell. In your own time.

Look, you can't have people opting out of things which are designed to provide a basic survival mechanism when vulnerable (like state pension and NHS) because otherwise people who are being coercively controlled or financially abused will be forced to opt out by their partners so their wages get clipped less, and will then end up with no access to healthcare, food etc.

What’s with all the goady threads on finances lately?? Tedious.

You don’t have to claim your state pension if you don’t want it 😂 You must be well off enough not to miss the contributions then!

And when the life changing event that leaves you penniless you’ll still be happy not receiving health care etc?

in fairness OP im sure a lot of us feel the same but I’d definitely rather have it as a backup than not.

Has anyone found out what soch means yet? I cant be arsed trawling through 100s of posts

Australia has links with the EU:

https://www.eeas.europa.eu/australia/european-union-and-australia_en?s=163

I wholeheartedly agree that some people take far more than they contribute and I believe we are far too lenient.
A subject which often comes up is parents paying for their own children.
It maybe unpopular but I think men should be made to pay for every child they father. Then if you can’t afford to keep breeding with random women you stop doing it,
I also think claiming to live apart from the mother of your children should not be a reason for either parent to claim more benefits. It’s basically a scam. Fine live separately but you should still pay for all the dcs.
I’d also like to see women being taken seriously when they request to be sterilised. I know of many women who have been refused sterilisation even when they have been in endless pain. The resulting pregnancies and mental health issues etc have caused enormous health problems and cost to society.

Okaaay.

Nothing to see here, folks. Keep moving.

non NHS user? Better hope you never need intensive care then.