‘I feel sick at the prospect of cuts to health benefits’ | Global News Avenue

The government will announce cuts to welfare spending this week after the prime minister called the current system “unsustainable, irrefutable and unfair”.

The axe is expected to significantly reduce long-term illness and disability benefits, especially individual independent payments (PIP), which could cut £5 billion.

The number of people claiming long-term benefits related to health increases, increasing the total welfare bill to £64 billion per year. It was argued that reforming the system would encourage claimants to work or work more.

But this has left many worried that they will not be able to afford payments or that they must do unmanageable jobs.

The BBC spoke to several people about how the cuts might affect them.

Alison, 56, who lives with her brother on a Southampton parliamentary property, said she was “ill” with the cuts.

She was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and PTSD caused by childhood trauma. She also suffered from panic attacks and night horror. Since Covid, she has been afraid to leave the house due to “fear of germs.”

Alison has been out of work since she lost Southampton Council in 1997 and claims PIP, major disability benefits, and an employment and support allowance (ESA) of about £1,700 a month.

She said she found it difficult to cope with work stress.

“It’s not a situation where I don’t want to (work),” she said. “I’ve been thinking about it all the time.

“Benefits don’t make me happy.”

Alison was told her welfare rights would last until 2027, but she said the prospect of being cut after that was “extremely frustrating.”

Emily, 41, lives in Croydon and is autistic and struggles with the basic tasks of time management and organizing daily tasks.

“My autism prevented me from finding a job in the past,” she said.

“Sometimes, during interviews, I can’t answer any questions.

“I’m ul and ah, repeating myself. When you do that, people think ‘this person is weird. We don’t want this person’.”

She now works full-time as a flight attendant and has developed strategies to help with late arrivals, including getting up earlier to allow for additional time transfers.

She realized the criticism that the claimants who benefited were often received. “I’m not a liar,” she said.

Emily receives over £400 a month, which doesn’t depend on the recipient’s income. But the money is mostly on her regular bills, not what she thinks occupational therapy can really help her establish the proper routine.

Receiving a PIP also means she is eligible for a Disability Discount Railing Card, which makes working travel more affordable.

“It’s a big deal,” she said. “I’ll try to pay.”

Justine, 42, was born with a painful genetic condition that affected her joints.

Even small movements like chopping vegetables or sneezing can lead to dislocation. She also developed a motility disorder, a disease that affected her nervous system and could cause her to faint.

Continuous pain and other symptoms can cause fatigue, but she manages to work 14 hours a week to support students with special educational needs.

“For a year, I simply couldn’t work. Then I started to get more of the most important things. I got the diagnosis and the medication and started to feel better.

“But as far as most of my doctors are concerned, they are very surprised that they are totally working.”

Without financial support of £737 a month, this helps pay for help in housing and transport, she said she would not be able to work.

“It will backfire and won’t save money,” she said, because if she loses her income, her other benefits will rise.

Steve, in south London, had to stop working after a car accident, which left him suffering from chronic cervical spondylosis, which can affect the health of the bones and skin of the neck and damage the brain.

He missed his job, but saying taking his own benefits doesn’t mean he can do it.

“In my case, I’ll get a lot of ignorant comments…Why don’t I jump on Uber for a meal? Everything you do normally… hurts. If I stand up for too long, it hurts.”

“What should I do? Float?”.

Steve gained universal credibility, as well as powerless benefits, including PIP, but said it was difficult to meet his energy bill and use the income he received to pay for food.

“My life is already below the minimum quality – this will be lowered further and health will suffer first,” he said.

He said encouraging people to enjoy benefits to go to work can feel like bullying.

“When the government says ‘encourage’, the reality is ‘threat’,” he said. “You are threatened to return to work.”

Alba, 53, is an IT contractor in Dorking and is currently working at an airport near London. Although she suffered chronic back pain after two “quite serious” motorcycle accidents, she has not received any disability support at this time.

During her unemployment period last year, she applied for her own savings. But in March, she was told she was not qualified.

“They tried their best to evaluate me – they were fair – and concluded that I could do some work.

“It’s true – but I want them to recognize that I’m in chronic pain,” she said.

She worried that if her current contract was not renewed, she might find it difficult to find a job that would allow her to work from home.

“I can’t go to work in the office every day. I’m not,” she said.

Her current employer is “very helpful” in getting her job at home, a topic she has talked to the BBC before.

“I’m really happy to have found this job,” she said.

“I don’t want to ask for benefits – it’s horrible. It’s not my style.” “I don’t want to stay at home and do nothing.”