2aguy
Diamond Member
- Jul 19, 2014
- 112,365
- 52,611
- 2,290
Yes.....as P.J. O'rourke once said..."If you think healthcare is expensive now...wait till it's free...."
Rachel Alexander - British Hospitals in the Red Send Strong Warning to the US
Consequently, 131 out of the 138 hospital trusts in Britain’s National Health System (NHS) are now in debt. The deficit has nearly tripled in size over the past year, and may reach £2.9 billion. “These figures are beyond dire,” declared Adam Roberts, a representative of the Health Foundation think tank. The think tank has also revealed that efficiency improvements have remained stagnant. With no competition (other than private health care which costs money), there is little incentive to make improvements. David Prior, former head of the Care and Quality Commission (CQC) non-departmental public body, admits there is no real market in British health care, and says this especially hurts people in rural areas who have access to only one hospital regardless of quality. He said 20 percent of hospitals have serious problems dating back several years, and another 20 percent are only performing so-so.
Patients have long waits to see specialists, and consequently British mortality rates are higher than in the U.S. The heart disease mortality rate is 36 percent higher than that in the U.S., and cancer survival rates are higher for Americans for all major cancer types. The breast cancer mortality rate is 88 percent higher in the UK.
Rachel Alexander - British Hospitals in the Red Send Strong Warning to the US
Consequently, 131 out of the 138 hospital trusts in Britain’s National Health System (NHS) are now in debt. The deficit has nearly tripled in size over the past year, and may reach £2.9 billion. “These figures are beyond dire,” declared Adam Roberts, a representative of the Health Foundation think tank. The think tank has also revealed that efficiency improvements have remained stagnant. With no competition (other than private health care which costs money), there is little incentive to make improvements. David Prior, former head of the Care and Quality Commission (CQC) non-departmental public body, admits there is no real market in British health care, and says this especially hurts people in rural areas who have access to only one hospital regardless of quality. He said 20 percent of hospitals have serious problems dating back several years, and another 20 percent are only performing so-so.
Patients have long waits to see specialists, and consequently British mortality rates are higher than in the U.S. The heart disease mortality rate is 36 percent higher than that in the U.S., and cancer survival rates are higher for Americans for all major cancer types. The breast cancer mortality rate is 88 percent higher in the UK.
