Originally Posted by roughbeast
Privatisation doesn't happen that way and the encroachment of private insurance won't be done that way. It will be done, and is being done, by stealth, bit by bit, without making waves in the political pond. With perennial underfunding the NHS becomes less effective and less available. If waiting queues for knee ops, cataracts, hip replacement, physiotherapy etc are months or years long, people with the cash will go private. Private insurance companies are burgeoning currently, tempting those with the funds to take whole or partial cover for all or some of their health needs. If you or I have taken out a £15.00 a month dental plan we are part of that trend. Private schemes giving access to GPs is currently being piloted without any particular government action or change in law.
Recently, I went to my doctor to have my troubled left knee looked at. I have been on a waiting list for surgery to tidy up my cartilage for four years! The doctor said it has been so long I have dropped off the list and that they will have to do X-Rays and soft tissue scans again before they can operate. There is a six-month wait to get a consultation. She offered me private consultation to speed things up. I refused on principle, so will have sleepless nights and difficulty walking downstairs until I get seen to. I pay an osteopath £48 a pop to keep me going. This service is not, and never has been, available anywhere in the NHS, so I'm not jumping any queues.
An old school friend of mine has cataracts that are making it impossible to drive at night and give him 'yellow-outs' when the sun is low. He has been told that he won't get them removed until he is virtually housebound. His job, as a buildings inspector, requiring a lot of driving is in jeopardy. The company running this contracted-out function of local authorities has lost patience. My friend has dug deep into savings to pay to get the op done!
There are 100s of thousands out there in long queues without the budget to jump the queue or who still hang on to their principles. In time, a decade or so, the majority will be on some kind private health insurance because, in the end, health, quality of life and saving life is a priority. People will not suffer for years if they can possibly pay a consultant or fund a monthly premium. In time we will be in exactly the same position as the USA, without a single change in legislation or any media furore. Those who protest loudly will be pronounced to be the looney left. We will have bog standard NHS hospitals with limited services and limited access for the poorest 25% to life-saving drugs and then a network of top-notch private hospitals and private services in NHS hospitals for the other 75%. Free at the point of need will be a principle still, but realistically only taken up by those with limited funds..
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