Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

Not good news, particularly as membership of such a generous pension scheme helps keep valuable medical staff in this country.
https://www.ft.com/content/e295716e-...1-cd4d49afbbe3

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

This is the price for austerity. Sadly, short term austerity has long term implications.

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

Very true (and it often costs more in the long run).

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

I think this says a lot more about the cost of providing a pension you can live on. This problem is not just an NHS problem and it's not really related to austerity. Public service pensions have always been costly but they do provide excellent benefits. The fact that these benefits require such input from salary every month is why so many people are struggling, or opt out of the scheme.

Private sector workers contribute less, but also get less benefits. I think the whole pensions arrangements for people in work needs a massive overhaul. It's not beyond the wit of man (or woman) to figure out some practical ways of alleviating the burden on employees that doesn't require an ever increasing retirement age.
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For example, why do we continue to pay out State pensions to those who are benefiting from good pension scheme payouts? Why can't we have different contribution rates to allow for less attractive but worthwhile pension payouts in retirement?

We can blame austerity for everything if that's your agenda, but with many big issues of the day, it is the systemic problems that are creating these situations. Politicians need to grasp the nettle, be prepared to face down protests from groups that would lose out but could afford to do so and make things better for everyone who is currently struggling.

The raid on pensions by Gordon Brown did not help the situation, frankly. A Labour Chancellor should have known better.

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

It’d be an extremely bold move (and act of political suicide) to be the party that starts telling people that despite paying into the Ponzi scheme that is the state pension you aren’t getting anything out.

Your suggestion is to penalise those who made adequate plans and compensate those who didn’t.

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

:tu:

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

You mean, like people paying towards the NHS who rely on private health care? Like people whose tax goes towards education despite them having no children themselves?

We are all taxed to provide essential services to the population for the common good, and State pension contributions are no different. A lot of our taxes go towards various State benefits that many of us have never claimed, but you don't hear many people moaning about that principle. As long as it doesn't go to scroungers, of course.

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

Those who abuse the system should be brought to book of that there is no doubt but alas much of the media demonise the many millions who claim benefits in this country and some of the populace form their opinions from such uneducated prejudiced trash.

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

People who pay for private healthcare are fully aware they'll have to continue paying for the NHS via taxation when they do so. They're also not denied the same level of NHS care as anyone else either.

We need more people to contribute to a private pension. It's not going to help if we financially punish those who do so by removing their state pension to compensate for their own prudence in saving for their retirement.

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

I don't think most of the population have a problem with proportionate benefits going to genuine claimants, Den. However, many do think that there is too much abuse of the system. Unfortunately, whenever the Government tries to clamp down on that abuse, genuine claimants are caught up in a lot of bureaucratic hurdles which I for one am very concerned about.

There are no easy answers unfortunately, other than increased policing of the system, which will be resented by some, and which will probably cost more money than it saves.

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

These are the latest figures in given by the DWP of fraud and error in the benefit system.

https://assets.publishing.service.go...-2017-2018.pdf

---------- Post added at 10:23 ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 ----------

There will be a level of abuse within any system of that there is no doubt but the reality of how much is often replaced by the lazy uninformed uneducated media trash that some form their opinions from..

---------- Post added at 10:28 ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 ----------

Absolutely as some patients long term medical conditions are never going to improve and only worsen as time goes on and they certainly should have to go through the constant bureaucratic hurdles which they are currently having to face as we have seen with the PIP fiasco.

---------- Post added at 10:29 ---------- Previous post was at 10:28 ----------

It will cost more more money then it saves.

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

Not sure how many more people can contribute towards a private pension from the following https://www.gov.uk/employers-workplace-pensions-rules.

A private pension isn't prudence anymore now, it's pretty much common sense (not to mention automatic) however, i can imagine it's also financially challenging for a great deal of people due to wage inflation etc.

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

As others have stated paying for private healthcare is a choice that doesn’t deny you access to the NHS. People who don’t have children presumably received an education themselves, so at least benefitted themselves at some time.

The number of people with private healthcare, or no children, is quite small compared to the sizeable chunk of the population you would propose to deny a state pension. The fact that there is an NHS and we all fund education as the accepted norm, as is a State Pension. By going against this with a huge set of the population is political suicide as I said.

If we chose an arbitrary line at say, today’s 30 year olds, you’d target the same people for whom housing is unaffordable. Some got hit with tens of thousands in tuition fees and saving for retirement is difficult enough without telling them the minimum state baseline is being taken away. Target anyone too close to State Pension age and there will be outrage at how little time they have to prepare.

Any such changes would need to be accompanied by a solving the problems such as in work poverty, house prices, and probably require higher levels of taxation to pay for these solutions to make it acceptable to the people you propose to hit. Inheritance tax could be used to claw back amounts paid to those retired now and receiving it. Again, this would be hugely unpopular, but at least the burden would be shared this way.

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

Difference being that if you are in an accident, the NHS wouldn't check to see if you had Private Health before sending an ambulance and giving you emergency treatment (which Private Health wouldn't cover anyway).

Why would we penalise those who had the foresight/ability to save to make retirement more comfortable - on those lines, why not introduce compulsory letting (free of charge) of rooms if you have a house with more bedrooms than you need for your family, as you obviously don't need those rooms?

Re: Crisis in the NHS
 

:tu:

---------- Post added at 12:23 ---------- Previous post was at 12:21 ----------

:tu:

---------- Post added at 12:29 ---------- Previous post was at 12:23 ----------

I receive a state pension plus my teacher's pension. The latter is peanuts compared to the state pension..I need the state pension or I'd need to apply for all sorts of other benefits.

Also what are the stats for those like my parents who payed in and NEVER lived to receive the State Pension? Where did their contributions go?