In last night's presidential debate, John McCain took a swipe at health care in England, asserting that it's a just a state-controlled bureaucracy.Well, I've worked in that "bureaucracy" for nearly on 20 years, managing multi-million pound services, and I've done a little comparison. And it doesn't look good for Mr McCain's ideas.
Very quick history lesson for you: The National Health Service (NHS) was set up in 1958. The reason for setting it up was simple. Doctors, who had been working privately, got to cherry pick the patients who would earn them the most money. As a result, anyone who was poor or very unwell with limited ability to pay didn't get seen. Premature death amongst the working class was astronomical. Not Most of the People. All of the people The solution - to have a universal health care system, funded by general taxation that provides quality health care to every UK citizen. No-one has to pay for their treatment. No-one needs an insurance policy. A degree of centralised control ensures that the quality of service doesn't vary too much depending on where you live. Some local autonomy means that local services can develop bespoke services for their own population. Because the NHS is not-for-profit, it doesn't have to think about shareholders when researching new treatment. Staff don't need proof that someone can pay before they're treated. As a result, the NHShas some of the world's best cancer, mental health and coronary heart disease services. In the USA, around 15% of the population have no health insurance. That's 45 million people who have limited access to healthcare. The people with the poorest health have higher premiums and so are less likely to have insurance. This exacerbates inequalities between the best and worst off in society. In the UK, everyone has access to the full range of health care. Everyone. So, surely the USA system must be cheaper? Nope. Not by a long way. The US health care eats up 15% of GDP. Britain's is 9%. But surely that extra spending means better treatment that helps people live longer? Nope. Not according the the official UN statistics.
The UK is ranked 27th in the World with an average life expectancy of 79.4. Men=76.6 , Women=81.5 The USA is ranked 37th in the World with an average life expectancy of 78.2. Men=75.6. Women=80.8 Is the NHS Perfect? Not by a long shot. Is it ethically sound? You Betcha!
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0 PM. My coaching practice has shown me