Healthcare in the headlines again

Story in the Mirror Online today, headlined NHS told to cut tonsil, wisdom teeth and other "low value" ops to cut costs.

Well, I think we all knew that something like this would eventually happen - as hospitals are likely get more and more desperate for their share of money to carry out their business, the types of operation mentioned in the article (tonsillitis, cataract ops, hip replacements, knee joint repairs, ­treatments for wisdom teeth and varicose veins) would be subject to some form of *ahem* priority rethink.

Where could this leave ordinary folk like us though? I mean, I know plenty people who've had the wisdom tooth thing done- (I will spare you the graphic details except to say that one story in particular still makes go a bit queasy even though it was told to me over a decade ago!) - and believe me, if that's going on in your jaw, your brain will most certainly NOT be sending 'low priority' signals to the brain's pain centres.

While on the short term this could definitely be a time of fractious transition, in the longer term it might mean who knows what? We'll have to wait and see. In terms of people seeking affordable health insurance, there will almost certainly be an increase in uptake.

Posted in: Healthcare,medical insurance,nhs