The answer to NHS misery: a NHS credit card [NHS Pt II]

If the average amount spent by the NHS throughout an average a person's life is £120,000 (see Pt I below) the Government just needs to tell people how much they are going to spend on keeping us alive and well instead of presenting meaningless percentages and billions: and it's £120k at the moment compared to £40k in1997.

Everyone then just needs a NHS Healthy Credit Card and credit limit and can spend according to the treatments received. We might like to pay for some treatments rather than draw on the account or top it up if needed. The budget would change the credit limit. Whether you want an cutting edge drug or a cosmetic treatment, if you've got a healthy balance then its ok: you could even spend it in a private hospital. But if you've been a frequent flier and used up your balance then sorry that's it unless you've made some other provision. The Government could still regulate what could be bought from the accounts.

Would this penalise the vulnerable? I think not, just the daft and the selfish 'my life at all costers'. The vulnerable are not the ones who are searching the internet and demanding exotic treatments before they've finished the animal tests and fighting their way through the courts; it's the articulate and relatively well off complaining about having to re mortgage their houses. It would make the cost of risky practices (smoking et al) and unhealthy lifestyle choices by people more transparent to them.

Perhaps if the Government adopted this then not only would their maths add up but everyone would understand better just what we can expect to get for our money.