What is the cost for individual treatment for the likes of cancer, heart disease, etc. to the NHS?So I'm doing an essay on whether the government or individuals should be responsible healthcare and welfare provision and I need some statstistics and evidence.
What is the cost of treatment for an individual who has cancer or heart disease, or another major disease or illness? If there was no NHS and only private healthcare, would the individual have to pay this amount?
I'm arguing that the government should be responsible, like it is just now, obviously. :) But I need to have evidence that if it was down to the individual many people, especially those in the lowest income brackets would be unable or have great difficulty in paying for treatment, and above that financial costs should not be made a factor to worry about when having to fight or put up with these illnesses.
I just need a rough figure that's all. Would it be around £1,000? £2,000? etc. Any sources would be appreciated too so I can be sure. :)
Answer by G.A.P
It depends on how common it is, cost of equipment, how long your in hospital for, cost of after drugs, the doctor/ surgeons time. So you can't put figures on how much it costs. It may also change over where you are having it.
Answer by Verite R
If we were able to go back to the 1940s, probably the way we pay for the NHS would be very different. Currently, every person who pays tax will pay around £2,000 pp per year towards the NHS. Now, the NHS is funded by those of us (probably in our 20s - 50s) who aren't sick, and may seldom go to our GP.
Crunch time comes when we get to our 60s, and this is when the majority of cancers make themselves known (you can have cancer from childhood onwards, but this is relatively rare).
And that is when the NHS is having to pay out for cancer - and treatment can cost well over £20,000 - £50,000 per year.
And, because the money was always available, hospitals and the medical profession often haven't spent taxpayers' money wisely. En-suite bathrooms for Chief Executives' offices, ordering expensive machinery rather than sharing with local hospital, etc. spring to mind.
In other countries with better health outcomes than the UK, people pay a combination of taxes and private insurance. According to Lord Darzi, the French who have this system, overall pay approx the same per person as we do with our straight taxes. Yet they have better outcomes.
Talking to the owner of a 500-bed German hospital, she told me if they had the same amount of administrative staff as my local NHS foundation hospital (with 350 beds) the insurance companies would step in and ask why she was wasting money.
So there is a lot of talk about copying the European system of combining taxation and insurance - but it would probably be too difficult to ever get us on this path.
You might look up www.after-cancer.com/nhs-watch to see more examples of where NHS could save money - if the will was there.
Verite R
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