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New research funded by the National Institute for Health and Social Care Research (NIHR) has found that a Basic Income scheme could potentially save the NHS tens of billions of pounds.
‘Treating causes not symptoms: Basic Income as a public health measure’ uses a range of economic and health modelling, public opinion surveys and community consultation to present cutting-edge evidence on the impact of Basic Income schemes.
Economic impact:
- Even a more ‘modest’ basic income scheme (£75 a week, £3,900 a year) would reduce child poverty to the lowest level since comparable records began in 1961 and achieve more at significantly less cost than the anti-poverty interventions of the New Labour governments.
- Child and pensioner poverty down by at least 60% each
- Working age poverty down by between 29% and 75% depending on the scheme
- Inequality down 55% to the lowest in the world under the most ambitious scheme
Public health impact:
- Between 125,000 and 1 million cases of depressive disorders could be prevented or postponed.
- Between 120,000 and 1.04 million cases of clinically significant physical health symptoms could be prevented or postponed.
- Between 130,000 and 655,000 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) could be gained, valued at between £3.9 billion and £19.7 billion.
- Based on depressive disorders alone, NHS and personal social services cost savings in 2023 of between £125 million and £1.03 billion assuming 50% of cases diagnosed and treated.
To read the full report, go here.
