UK Gov't Healthcare: £2 Packet Of Pasta Costs UK Health Care £50

governamerica.com ^ | 6/22/11 | Daily Mail

[Nachum]

Wasteful health chiefs have been paying almost £50 for a £2 packet of pasta, it has emerged.

While many shoppers have been watching every penny they spend, it would appear some health service bosses have been acting far less frugally with taxpayer cash.

Now one NHS Trust has finally come to its senses and is getting patients to buy the packets in supermarkets for £2.

Everyone who previously had gluten-free pasta on prescription from the Eastern and Coastal Kent NHS Trust has now been advised to buy it themselves.

[Argus]

I don’t know about this. You let those welfare state serfs start buying their own pasta, pretty soon they’ll want to be buying their own health care too.

[William Tell]

From the article: "Wasteful health chiefs have been paying almost £50 for a £2 packet of pasta, it has emerged."

I would look for indications that kickbacks are being paid to those making the purchasing decisions. It's obvious that the managers of these programs have no incentives to minimize costs and little oversight of what they are doing.

[Ingtar]

This is the sort of cost savings Obamacare is bringing to you...

[NonValueAdded]

Everyone who previously had gluten-free pasta on prescription from the Eastern and Coastal Kent NHS Trust has now been advised to buy it themselves.

There's the real nut of the story. The £50 "price" is the dispensed prescription markup. Chances are, somewhere back up the chain from the supplier of the pharmacy, someone is paying less than supermarket retail. But remember, there are processing costs, stocking costs, and I am sure some sort of stringent testing and certification regimen; that it isn't a £48 profit being taken. Yep, time for Kent pasta to go OTC.