YOU HAVE TO, TO BELONG.
I have always remembered a comment made by one of my scout leaders more than sixty years ago, which makes an admirable title to this item: the subject being health care.
This has triggered my interest in certain columnists' writings regarding the funding of the NHS. It appears that more thinkers are looking at how other European nations help fund their respective health systems. In Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, and nearer to home, Ireland, the patient has to pay a small fee to see their GP. The popular term is co-payment. This is done to make the patient more responsible. Since I have a brother-in-law living in Berlin, it is easier to give a brief view of the fairly complicated German approach. They are, I'm sure, very strict, which probably enables them to minimise the exploitation by immigrants; a major drain on Britain's NHS.
Germany happily runs a two tier system: If one has a suitable income, he or she can opt out of the state run scheme. The private health insurance will deal with all legitimate bills. Breast reduction or enhancement, sex change etc., would need additional charges to be covered by the patient. The state system calls for a patient to pay 10 euros for a GP's services, this seems to cover any further visits during that quarter. Pensioners don't get away from charges either; they are charged a minimum of 1% of their annual income. For chronic illness, this can be 2%.
All these sound like draconian methods, and although we don't see too many 'down at heel' Germans, I'm sure there are plenty. It should, however, be pretty obvious to most observers, that their responsibility, in the long term, gives them more wealth. In the UK, apart from the burden of healing foreigners, who happen to be the only patients who can say that the NHS is a free service, we pay for all kinds of conditions which are down to life style: Abortions, drug and alchohol abuse and tattoo removal; these being just some of the items which should be paid for by the individual.
WITHOUT ACTION, OUR NATIONAL DEBT WILL KEEP INCREASING.
This has triggered my interest in certain columnists' writings regarding the funding of the NHS. It appears that more thinkers are looking at how other European nations help fund their respective health systems. In Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, and nearer to home, Ireland, the patient has to pay a small fee to see their GP. The popular term is co-payment. This is done to make the patient more responsible. Since I have a brother-in-law living in Berlin, it is easier to give a brief view of the fairly complicated German approach. They are, I'm sure, very strict, which probably enables them to minimise the exploitation by immigrants; a major drain on Britain's NHS.
Germany happily runs a two tier system: If one has a suitable income, he or she can opt out of the state run scheme. The private health insurance will deal with all legitimate bills. Breast reduction or enhancement, sex change etc., would need additional charges to be covered by the patient. The state system calls for a patient to pay 10 euros for a GP's services, this seems to cover any further visits during that quarter. Pensioners don't get away from charges either; they are charged a minimum of 1% of their annual income. For chronic illness, this can be 2%.
All these sound like draconian methods, and although we don't see too many 'down at heel' Germans, I'm sure there are plenty. It should, however, be pretty obvious to most observers, that their responsibility, in the long term, gives them more wealth. In the UK, apart from the burden of healing foreigners, who happen to be the only patients who can say that the NHS is a free service, we pay for all kinds of conditions which are down to life style: Abortions, drug and alchohol abuse and tattoo removal; these being just some of the items which should be paid for by the individual.
WITHOUT ACTION, OUR NATIONAL DEBT WILL KEEP INCREASING.
posted by minister | 06:44
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