About this time of year I get a cheque (yeah, I’d forgotten they exist, too) from Pru Health for £50. It’s for not having made a claim and stayed healthy. A sort of reward-for-not-causing-health-service-problems.
Actually, it would be more than £50 as I do all the things Pru Health recommends: take regular exercise, be a gym rat, etc. Trouble is, my gym isn’t recognised by Pru Health so I don’t get all the potential bonus points that I could for it. Twice a week hell and micro reward grates, but…
Yet it’s nice to get something for nothing. Literally. I make no claim, do nothing and get money. It feels good to be helping out in the community like this and I’ve been wondering where else I might get paid for not doing something. Here’s some thoughts:
- The NHS: I’ve not been to see my doctor all year; and I’ve not stepped inside a hospital for many more. Having not done these things because I’d rather be well than ill, shouldn’t someone give me some money?
- I’ve not use my car this year. Well, I’ve driven about 400 miles. So I’ve almost not used it. It’s also not parked on the street — so I’ve not used our precious road resources despite my paying road tax.
- I’ve almost not used my TV this year, either…everything’s on the web and TV is largely crap (why do they keep interrupting the ads with those annoying programmes?) so I don’t watch it.
You’re thinking I’m being trivial, huh? You’re thinking ‘”Why am I wasting my time reading this rubbish?” Well, think again.
My not using the health service means I’m reducing the pressure on the medical profession’s preoccupation to treat the Great Overweight population headed for obesity and diabetes and so saving the country by not adding to the crippling, and rising, costs to the NHS of more than £1bn a year already… I think that’s pretty good.
Ditto my non-car usage doesn’t cost the environment anything. Ditto my TV doesn’t waste more energy, either. Hey…I should be getting refunds all over the place!
But here’s the serious point. If we were paid some sort of financial incentive not to do things, maybe we’d actually do them. Don’t get overweight and we’ll give you a £50 reward each year. Don’t drive more than, say, 5000 miles a year and we’ll halve your road tax — and yes, that could be checked. Don’t watch Big Brother and Strictly Come Dancing and we’ll pay you a fortune for making them go away.
OK, the latter idea might be more difficult to police. But the opportunity to gain something for keeping under the limit instead of being penalised (higher taxes, waiting lists, extra costs) for going over the limits, then it might just have a positive influence on attitudes.
I’m off down the gym to save the country (but not me) some money. Hey, Pru Health, tell the NHS I need some sort of refund.
