Quote:
Originally Posted by Avulon
So by your reckoning then everyone that comes of age should be made to pay the surcharge then? There's absolutely no difference. Turn 18 just starting work: new joiner, pay the surcharge for 5 or 10 years. Come to the country to work and pay taxes - just like our fictional 18year old: new joiner, pay a surcharge. Only difference being those people coming to work in the NHS already trained - will earn more than the 18yo and pay more taxes from the off. Not only have they come to work in Britain, but in the NHS itself. Ironic isn't it that they could be asked to pay an extra tax for the privilege Health cover while at the same time saving the NHS a shed load of training costs... But there you go suggesting just that. Next you'll be trying to suggest that the NHS should make a profit. Keep your cones and your frustrums - They're pyramids anyway - the whole social contract is a pyramid scheme - and would continue to function if money wasn't being constantly syphoned off.
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I didn't suggest anything of the sort. In simple terms, we leave school/college/university (these days = 18-23 YOA..) get jobs, start earning, pay income tax and NI (ie start supporting the system) and yup, not everyone follows this route but the significant majority do.
I suppose the lower/est paid (lets say untrained/unskilled and probably unqualified) foreign health worker could arrive at 18 yoa and start off on a contribution par with our home grown 18 yoa youth - except our youth has a line of forebears that have already contributed/paid into the pot, supported the infrastructure etc. - and that's a tangible difference in the theory.
The same logic applies should we compare more skilled/qualified better remunerated young adults from within and outwith the system (there is little difference in the age at which they reach this status), and, if any of these hypothetical examples has need of the NHS they all are treated the same.
Surcharging (or compulsory personal health insurance) for a foreign worker arriving here specifically to work in the NHS is emotive but as I stated previously, like any other job, our foreign worker arrives having accepted the T&C's of their offer; evidently many found the offer attractive - even more attractive now it appears they may avoid the surchage altogether (crass decisions....)