The 'virtual bill' that tells you how much your visit to the doctor cost

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13 April 2012

People are to be shamed into 'prudent' use of hospitals, schools and other public services by being told exactly how much they are costing the state.

Under extraordinary plans unveiled by Downing Street yesterday, patients visiting their GP will be handed a 'virtual bill' telling them what their treatment is costing the taxpayer.

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Users of other state-funded services, such as university students or school parents, would also be given a statement setting out the annual cost of their places.

The plan prompted protests last night from Opposition MPs, union leaders and health campaigners.

In the Health Service, they warned it would waste billions in unnecessary bureauracy and could deter vulnerable and elderly patients from seeking treatment at all.

They also said it was outrageous that the Government should be seeking to make people feel grateful for services they paid for themselves in tax.

The proposal was unveiled in a major Government review of public services policy by Tony Blair and his expected successor Gordon Brown.

Though people would not be charged, ministers believe confronting them with how much their use of public services is costing the Treasury would encourage 'more responsible' use of the NHS in particular.

Someone making a standard visit to A&E could be told they have cost the NHS £73, while a woman having a mastectomy would get a 'virtual bill' for £2,800.

The Downing Street document said: 'Citizens could be encouraged to make more responsible decisions about the use of services if they were informed about how much it costs the state to provide that service'

It added: 'Similarly, university students - who may believe their fees cover the entire costs of their courses - could be informed of the total costs of their courses at the beginning of the each year.'

Tory health spokesman Andrew Lansley said: "Is the agenda about deterring people from seeking treatment in the first place? Or given that the Government is so keen on 'co-payment' for public services, is it really about paving the way for asking patients to pay something towards NHS treatment?"

Geoff Martin, of campaign group Health Emergency, said: "Like many people, I've got elderly parents who can be proud. If somebody starts waving bits of paper in front of them saying, 'Do you realise how much you're costing the taxpayer?', it would be a real disincentive for them to seek help. People will also wonder how long it will be before virtual bills become real bills."

Blair Gibbs, campaign director of the Tax-Payers' Alliance pressure group, said: "It would be better if everyone got a statement on the real amount of tax they'd paid that year - we all know which would be the more shocking figure."

Anne Mitchell, of health union Unison, added: "The cost of generating millions of virtual bills would outweigh any conceivable benefit you might get from trying to shame people into using the NHS less."

Other proposals in the Downing Street document include introducing more NHS 'walk-in' centres, particularly in areas where there are not enough doctors, and opening more surgeries in evenings and at weekends.

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