Doctors (GP) Fees - No recession in my surgery

Over the course of the last couple of months, between myself and the kids, have had 4 visits to the surgery. 60 quid a pop. Speaking from my own experiences, amongst me and maybe 20 friends, I don't know anyone that hasn't taken some sort of salary cut in the last year (taxes aside). Yet the GP waltzes merrily along charging the same prices as before, and they were a rip off even in boom time !

Price deflation is the only thing that can drive competitiveness, and much of the economy is doing what it has to do in order to cut its cloth etc. Has anyone out there witnessed any price deflation in their local GP surgery ?

While I haven't experienced a reduction in fees I've found that my GP (and those in their practice) have been extremely considerate of my situation.

According to the HSE there is a 16 week waiting list for medical card applications in Dublin North. I had to visit my GP due to illness but my medical card wasn't granted at that time and they waived my charges due to financial hardship along with writing a letter to medical card section requesting an urgent review.

I've since been granted a medical card. I would say that the reason why there is no reduction in GP private fees is down to the increase in medical card patients.

My doctor is sound. My little son went through a stage of picking up every thing that was possible, it it had "itis" at the end of it, he got it.

When we would bring him to the doctor, every third or so time, he would not charge us. Mostly he would say, it is a virus, nothing I can prescribe will do any good and he would advice on how to treat him. Then he would let us on our merry way, 5 mins later and with the same amount of money we had going in.

I love that guy.

Last month Ireland had a chest infection 60 euro GP visit and 40 euro prescription
A week later still not gone.
Walked into UK health centre, they took photocopy of passport, charged nothing
Wrote another prescription for £5.50

In Ireland I am paying 3500 PRSI health levy per annum
I pay 2800 Private health insurance
Last year, our receipts for prescriptions and GP was 2500

Banana republic

CharlieC said:

Banana republic

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Independent socialist utopian republic.

Aren't we so better off than those people in Wales, NI and Scotland. Still occupied by the crown. Still having the NHS with its free GP visits, free or cheap prescriptions and a doctor who actually looks at you instead of getting a nurse to do it and justifying his €60 by sticking his head round the door and asking "everything OK here?".

Brave men fought and died to enable us to pay for those doctors' Mercedes.

Mrs Purple is a GP. She charges €50 a visit and €20 for a follow up. She is under pressure from other local GP's to increase her fees. Test results (if everything is OK) are given by phone for free. She still makes a very good living.

terrontress said:

Independent socialist utopian republic.

Aren't we so better off than those people in Wales, NI and Scotland. Still occupied by the crown. Still having the NHS with its free GP visits, free or cheap prescriptions and a doctor who actually looks at you instead of getting a nurse to do it and justifying his €60 by sticking his head round the door and asking "everything OK here?".

Brave men fought and died to enable us to pay for those doctors' Mercedes.

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my doctor drives a skoda and I nearly have to convince him to take the money, €45. Collins & co need not turn in their graves.

Purple said:

She is under pressure from other local GP's to increase her fees. .

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really purple???!!! are all the rest of the rates for the other gp's the same??? is your wife getting more custom since she has lower charges? €60 is alot for charging but if you take into account that the gp might have to pay for secratary, light and heat, office maintenance costs, nurse too maybe it can all add up. i havent been to a doctor in years and am only speaking from what i saw last time i was at one. they have 4 gp's with one nurse, 2 secrataries.

Niallymac said:

Price deflation is the only thing that can drive competitiveness

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Competitiveness is the only thing that can drive price deflation

And that explains why prices are so high. If there were more GP places offered to qualified doctors prices would come down

Firefly said:

If there were more GP places offered to qualified doctors prices would come down

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That's the crux of it but they know that by limiting supply they can earn supernormal profits (remember your leaving cert economics?).

burger1979 said:

really purple???!!! are all the rest of the rates for the other gp's the same???

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Yes, they all went up within a few weeks and yes, she is very busy but because she's a great doctor who gives a great service (some of her patients travel over 40 miles to see her).
Now I am not saying that doctors engage in price fixing or anything, I’m sure it’s all a complete coincidence

We used to have a GP where we lived before and, honestly, half the time he would refuse to charge me, saying he wouldnt charge for 'babies', he was a dote and I used to give him a few bottles of wine every christmas and when we'd come back from france and so on.

Since we've moved we go to a different GP and equally I find him really brilliant, honest and half the time he charges a smaller fee than he could. I know the time and training he has put in to become a GP ( as I have some in my immediate family) so I wouldnt begrudge him the full fee but he doesnt half the time. Full fee should be 50 but honestly, half the time he just asks for 30 or 25. Also I've recommended him to loads of people because he is so nice and a really good GP. BTW his name is Dr. Michael Lynch and he practises in Killaloe, Co.Clare.

Folks,

If you were paying cash - what % were on cards from from the SW?

C

When my Dad retired as a GP, I used to have oul fellas I didn't even know coming up to me in the pub telling me how they only found out my Dad had been charging them half price for umpteen years when the new GP took over. . . . . . there are GPs out there charging a fair price.

MrMan said:

my doctor drives a skoda and I nearly have to convince him to take the money, €45. Collins & co need not turn in their graves.

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Yeah, but in Scotland, with life under the crown, such a trip would cost nothing at point of use. And any prescriptions would not cost anything either.

It is not the GP's fault that people have to pay at point of use but it is a lousy system.

terrontress said:

Yeah, but in Scotland, with life under the crown, such a trip would cost nothing at point of use. And any prescriptions would not cost anything either.

It is not the GP's fault that people have to pay at point of use but it is a lousy system.

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How about no publically delivered primary (and very limited public delivery of hospital care) care but a national health insurance scheme (VHI, BUPA etc for those who can afford it and state insurance for those who can’t)? Hey presto; no two tier health system and a reimbursement scheme that can be used to control costs to the exchequer. This system is used in Holland and Belgium (the country with the best healthcare system in Europe) amongst others.

Purple said:

How about no publically delivered primary (and very limited public delivery of hospital care) care but a national health insurance scheme (VHI, BUPA etc for those who can afford it and state insurance for those who can’t)? Hey presto; no two tier health system and a reimbursement scheme that can be used to control costs to the exchequer. This system is used in Holland and Belgium (the country with the best healthcare system in Europe) amongst others.

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The difficulty is the "those who can afford it" element.

There should be a good standard of free at point of use healthcare for everyone, whether they be prince or pauper and the public should demand top class service. Should you wish, you can elect to pay for private medical insurance if sitting in a ward more akin to a hotel is your preference. But the standard of medical care offered should be no better.

There are many people I know in Ireland who are judged as "those who can afford it" and they stay away from GP surgeries when they have a health concern as they have better things to do with their €60. There is enough problem encouraging people who find a lump or blood in their stool to go to the doctor when the €60 is not a factor. Adding a €60 fine to the equation just makes people even less likely to seek help.

The notion of charging people for a GP visit is a disgrace. Charging in accident and emergency is even worse.

terrontress said:

Independent socialist utopian republic.

Aren't we so better off than those people in Wales, NI and Scotland. Still occupied by the crown. Still having the NHS with its free GP visits, free or cheap prescriptions and a doctor who actually looks at you instead of getting a nurse to do it and justifying his €60 by sticking his head round the door and asking "everything OK here?".

Brave men fought and died to enable us to pay for those doctors' Mercedes.

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try living in the UK. Income Tax, Council Tax (payable after income tax already taken), no mortgage relief. bin charges, car parking charges (outside yer own home no less in some places) water charges, bloody expensive commuting costs via public transport, etc etc... the cost of goods and services may be cheaper there, but you'll have less in your pocket to spend

terrontress said:

The notion of charging people for a GP visit is a disgrace. Charging in accident and emergency is even worse.

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I disagree. When people get something for nothing (or nothing at the point of care) they are far more likely to abuse it. Mrs Purple has been called to houses in the middle of the night because parents have run out of Calpol for their child. In her experience medical card patients account for over 70% of out of hours house calls yet less than one third of people are medical card holders. The same goes for A&E; people go there with a ailment that has been ongoing for weeks. Anyone presenting with such a complaint should be sent to their GP and told to make an outpatient appointment. Don’t get me going about people who present to E&E drunk or drugged; they cost the state tens if not hundreds of millions a year as they clog up the whole hospital system. The state should recover all costs from these people, even if it leaves them penniless.

Anyway, socialised medicine is very inefficient. Why create a bureaucracy to take taxes from people and then give the small proportion that is not squandered said bureaucracy back to them in the form of a socialised service delivery. At the end of the day the cost to the hospital/doctor is the same, why not cut out the bloated middleman and let people pay for it themselves through their insurance (or through insurance provided by the state)?
The argument about who can afford it themselves is no different to the one about who should pay what tax. If we were not paying for 5% of the workforce to be employed by the HSE then taxes should be lower.