ElyDave
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 2,087
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
I have always thought that as a brilliant idea. Over the years (now 62) I've worked with many people whose sporting activities, although very laudable, have cost a fortune in time off work and hospital fees. Even my own brother in law, a keen footballer, ended up requiring expensive surgery for his shoulder, even after receiving several injuries to that shoulder (dirty opponents knew there was a weakness maybe?) he carried on until it was just too much and his shoulder needed some serious surgery.
Sorry, gone way off topic. I think at the end of the day the NHS wanted to save money, the government wants to save money. Type II diabetics just happened to be a soft target because of some research that suggested it was pointless to test, it made no difference. Unless of course you were changing diet to get the numbers down. In my case, if I was to follow the eatwell plate advise they dish out I'd be on insulin now and would need to test more regularly. As it is I take metformin but I know if I start eating the carbs again my BG WILL go up.
Just to be clear here (not picking your post out amongst the others, just part of the theme), if I'm out riding around the roads of the Fens, or even (God forbid) a competetive time trial or out for a run and I get knocked down by an Audi driver it's my fault for wanting to do something to 1) keep fit, 2) improve my diabetes managment 3) have fun playing with my friends and I should be insured for it?
Perhaps we should go down the US route and have everyone covered by medical insurance and marginalise those at the bottom end of the earnings pyramid even further. I'm sure that would work for the medical companies.
Yes the NHS is not ideal, but for every person that is an A&E frequent flyer there is soemone that's never used it in their life and keeps paying taxes and NI anyway, should they have a discount? If you ask me, this is trying to make a complex system even more complicted, rather than simplifying it. There's a good argument for a flat rate tax, same % rate for everyone, no other taxes or NI and no dammned avoidance schemes.