> Sorry, I meant the somewhat cosy relationship between the drug companies, the insurers and the doctors. Yes, and this is exactly what I'm talking about. > M

> Sorry, I meant the somewhat cosy relationship between the drug companies, the insurers and the doctors. Yes, and this is exactly what I'm talking about. > Maybe it's because of the newspapers' portrayal of NICE as a death panel here, but I find it hard to believe that they're cosy with anyone. NICE is many things, but they're certainly not "nice". And where that shows the most is in treatments for complex conditions (especially cancer). But beyond that: providers under the NHS have dramatic leeway in determining appropriate steps for care (that's inherent to the practice of medicine itself), and they are both explicitly and implicitly expected to consider costs as a factor in that decision-making.