Would you pay higher taxes for NHS drugs for all? Poll discussion

Former_MSE_Lawrence

Poll Results 13-20 August 2007: Would you pay higher taxes for NHS drugs for all?

Modern super-drugs are getting more expensive, and the funds to pay come from taxpayers' money, which of course pays for the NHS. Yet last week there was uproar when it was decided a family of new Alzheimer's drugs wouldn’t be made available for all; and this follows similar past reaction to decisions on breast cancer drug Herceptin. So how do we balance this out?

Focusing, for clarity, purely on the NHS drugs budget, rather than the NHS itself:

How much more tax would you be willing to pay to make all drugs available to all?

A. Nothing. Rationing is sadly always necessary. 30% (1231 votes)

B. 1p in the £1. We could do a little more. 37% (1511 votes)

C. 5p in the £1. This should help the woeful current situation. 24% (970 votes)

D. Doubling of taxes. If this is what it took, I’d pay. Everyone deserves the best care. 10% (398 votes)

Total Votes: 4105

This vote has finished, click reply to discuss below

rebbonk

This poll (imho) misses the point completely. By all means focus on the budget, but look at other ways of increasing the budget other than hitting the poor old tax payer again.

Unfortunately you can't divorce this issue from the NHS as a whole. If we were to agree to higher taxes, the extra money wouldn't get spent on drugs, it would go on the ever increasing management burden.

Maybe we should also consider reducing the gross profiteering that the drugs companies make?

saabstar

I know this will be controversial but I am going to say it anyway. In my opinion, I would gladly pay higher taxes, as long as previous comments above ref drugs company profits, etc were also looked at seriously, and as long as:

a) the tax was directed solely towards providing the drugs and not being syphoned off for other purposes and
b) it was not used to line NHS directors' and others' pockets in heft pay-outs and pay-offs and
b) the benefits are solely for those who had paid UK taxes (or their parents had paid on their behalf) for a minimum period of at least 10 years.

A tall order and who the hell would police that!!

We have been too generous for too long with our hard-earned lifestyle and not just with NHS, but that is another thread perhaps!

I'll just wait for the deluge now .......

airtrack12000

Dare I say it but, if the government didnt "waste" money on the "freeloaders" in society and spent it on e.g NHS , then we would not be discussing this.
for e.g all unemployed people would have to work for at least one day a week in order to qualify for benifits, which would include jobs like community support, graffiti cleaning, painting etcetc. the same goes for asylum seekers, immigrants and anybody else who wants/needs to claim benifits.
I for one am sick and tired of seeing my hard earned money being wasted on needless/useless projects when it could be better spent on those who deserve it.
I'll get off my soap box now

summersnearlyhere

I agree that all patients should be entitled to any medications available but really do not agree with an increased tax to pay for it. Many people pay prescription charges that are over and above the costs of their actual prescriptions so where is the difference going? Drug companies do have the NHS over a barrel with their charges and there should be a goverment watch dog to regulate these and fine companies who are doing so.

To plough more money into the NHS without a complete overall which bans the management of both PCTs and NHS Trusts from employing any more needless and useless managers is a complete waste of time. In my 27 years experience in the NHS it has never had as many managers and they care not a jot about patient care or ensuring enough staff on wards etc. Everytime the government gives the NHS extra money it is only the number of managers that increase and you will see from the news nurses, porters, cleaners, kitchen staff, physio's, secretaries etc. their numbers decline!

sinizterguy

Sorry. Wouldnt pay a penny more ... let alone a penny every pound.

Drop the useless middle management whose incompetence is protected and encouraged actively within the NHS and that alone should provide enough additional funding.

But there is NO WAY to get enough money to give every single person who wants modern high-expense drugs what they want or think they need in a socialised medicine situation.


And as for doubling of taxes, do you think I am going to pay 80% of what I earn to the Government ?

Littlespender_2

I agree with the other posters. I would not vote for any of the answers.

Many of the sufferers are elderly, and have long paid their dues.

Its up to the government to maintain a "National Health Service" for all not by the ability to pay.

Ivana_B_Rich

I also agree with the comments made. We are already one of the most heavily taxed countries, more tax is not the answer. Better management of the taxes we all pay is what is required.

MSE_Martin

I understand some of the comments regarding the poll - though do remember it is deliberately stark to allow focus on the issue.

While improving NHS efficiency would certainly help - do remember some of these drugs can cost £30,000 per person per year - and there can be 100,000s suffering. The question is about "access to all drugs for all" - something that simply isn't affordable within the current tax structure.

Hence the question ignoring NHS efficiencies and just looking at the pure issue of the cost of drugs.

Martin

wensmcg

It s much more complicated issue than something that just needs more money thrown at it.

That the media portrays a drugs as the next best thing, doesn't actually mean it is. I have been a pharmacist for a numebr of years within the NHS and I have yet to see a true "miracle drug". Many work for most people that take them, if the perons 1. takes them as prescribed and 2. can tolerate any side effects. Dont believe everything you read - you need particular training and skills to decipher the drugs trials and they all have flaws or bias in one way or another that limit the application of the results in some way.

Around 80% or more of people get free prescriptions in those parts of the UK that still charge for them. In addition in Scotland there is a scheme where those who get free prescriptions can get free over the counter medicines from pharmacies IF they are needed to treat something current (you can't just stock up your cupboard). The prescription tax goes a very small way to covering the costs of all those who dont pay anything.

There will always be a greater demand for health services than we ever have money for, so we have to prioritise. If we cure one thing we eventually die from something else - so the more people we keep alive the greater the long-term demand on the health services. you'll never have enough money for everything. If you have £1000 and you can save 1000 people by using a drug that is £1 per person for one condition OR you can save 1 person with a different condition with a drug costing £1000 - how do you choose? The NHS managers have to do that every day. and I dont envy the task.

More important than how we pay for drugs (i.e. tax issues) is ensuring that those drugs given on prescription are used in a cost effective way. People on lots of medicines can have a review by their pharmacist to ensure what they are still taking is approrpiate - many people have more and more drugs added without stopping the original ones, or one drug requires the use of another to minimise the side effects of the first one - sometimes simple changes can reduce the need for the numbers of medications.

in addition we need to educate the population to only get the medicines they need and take the ones they shoudl. Millions of pounds are wasted each years on drugs that are thrown out. Sometimes people order what is on their prescription repeat without actually needing it "just in case" creating huge stock piles of drugs in cupboards. Many drugs are not taken. There are many estimates but most are around 40-50% of medicines prescribed for long-term conditions e.g. high blood pressure etc are collected form the chemists but not actually taken. If you think this is high ask yourself - do you ALWAYS take the full course of antibiotics? If you dont complete a simple 5 or 7 day course imagine how many doses are not taken by people who have to take medicines every day.

If we reduced the waste in the drugs use in the UK we might be able to afford the more expensive newer medications. BUT we should only be using new medicines if they give value for money. It;s no good paying fro somethign that doesnt work, or give sufficient benefit to make it worth it.

And although drug companies make huge profits there are scheme arising where there is payment by results - if the drug doesnt work the NHS doesn't pay for it. And there are systems of price / profit limiting on companies. BUT if they dont make profits they wont do the job - and wont develop any new "super drugs" so we'll be stuck with the old cheaper ones. We dont complain about M&S making a profit - it's expected. Drug companies are businesses too. And developing a new drug can cost millions of pounds - they want to get that back.

In answer to the question would I pay more tax for free medicines for all?
NO I woudln't. Why?
I already work in the NHS where I get paid less than the community / private sector, especially after the recent pay review
I pay prescription charges unlike many others and
I do my bit to ensure that when we use medicines we do it appropriately and as cost-effectively as possible.

What do you do to help?

I hope this adds to the discussion, it is kindly meant.

Becky

Who pays for the fact that Wales have free prescriptions?

Does the whole of Britain or the EU pay for this?