3 ms·

Some information on the declining level of funding here: https://fullfact.org/health/spending-english-nhs/ https://fullfact.org/health/spending-english-nhs/ On

Some information on the declining level of funding here: https://fullfact.org/health/spending-english-nhs/ https://fullfact.org/health/spending-english-nhs/ On your small point, I suppose one way in which you could compare the UK and American systems in high-level terms is by money paid for service provided. In the UK, people pay for their health care through their taxes (and some direct costs like prescriptions). In the US it is largely through direct cost for health insurance and/or employment deductions. That cost is clearly far lower in the UK than the US.

new299 9y ago
I can't see how the site you quote shows that the NHS is being defunded at an alarming rate... In fact: "Looking at the wider UK, the amount spent on health has been rising over the long-term. That’s true whether it’s expressed in cash, cash adjusted for inflation, per person, or as a proportion of the size of the economy." Regarding the UK/US comparison. The question is why would you want to compare yourself to a global outlier unless you're trying to setup a straw man? The UK health care system is obviously better than the US, almost every developed country has a healthcare system than is better than the US, it's not even hard. It's hard to be better than other European countries, or for example... Japan. For some strange reason British politics tends to frame arguments as "we're better than the US at X"... doesn't matter... there are many things the US is poor at.
- ProxCoques 9y ago
  "the amount spent on health has been rising over the long-term" The point is that the amount being spent IS NOT ENOUGH to offset the growth in demand for services. That is why the NHS faces a £30 billion funding gap by 2020 - as the article explains in full. As to the US comparison, that will continue as long as the US approach to health care is the one that's favoured by right-wing politicians in the UK. They are not (yet) touting the Japanese or Finnish models. So we don't care about those comparisons.
  - new299 9y ago
    Do you have a citation that suggests a completely US style system is being proposed? This might be the case, but I feel like if this is the discussion being had, there should be an explicit reference, and justification that the US is the closest implementation of what is being suggested.
    - ProxCoques 9y ago
      No UK politician would openly say that they wanted to privatise the NHS. But what they are doing is solidly along the lines of the US modal. That is, to turn the rump of the NHS into a Medicaid/Medicare provider with the bulk of healthcare borne by private insurance. I may be wrong of course - what is your interpretation of what is happening with the NHS? Perhaps you think it's being run well, and that tax payers need not fear the threat of having to buy private health insurance or rely on employer support?

new299 9y ago

I can't see how the site you quote shows that the NHS is being defunded at an alarming rate... In fact: "Looking at the wider UK, the amount spent on health has been rising over the long-term. That’s true whether it’s expressed in cash, cash adjusted for inflation, per person, or as a proportion of the size of the economy." Regarding the UK/US comparison. The question is why would you want to compare yourself to a global outlier unless you're trying to setup a straw man? The UK health care system is obviously better than the US, almost every developed country has a healthcare system than is better than the US, it's not even hard. It's hard to be better than other European countries, or for example... Japan. For some strange reason British politics tends to frame arguments as "we're better than the US at X"... doesn't matter... there are many things the US is poor at.

ProxCoques 9y ago
"the amount spent on health has been rising over the long-term" The point is that the amount being spent IS NOT ENOUGH to offset the growth in demand for services. That is why the NHS faces a £30 billion funding gap by 2020 - as the article explains in full. As to the US comparison, that will continue as long as the US approach to health care is the one that's favoured by right-wing politicians in the UK. They are not (yet) touting the Japanese or Finnish models. So we don't care about those comparisons.
- new299 9y ago
  Do you have a citation that suggests a completely US style system is being proposed? This might be the case, but I feel like if this is the discussion being had, there should be an explicit reference, and justification that the US is the closest implementation of what is being suggested.
  - ProxCoques 9y ago
    No UK politician would openly say that they wanted to privatise the NHS. But what they are doing is solidly along the lines of the US modal. That is, to turn the rump of the NHS into a Medicaid/Medicare provider with the bulk of healthcare borne by private insurance. I may be wrong of course - what is your interpretation of what is happening with the NHS? Perhaps you think it's being run well, and that tax payers need not fear the threat of having to buy private health insurance or rely on employer support?