60 Years Of National Healthcare For All

Here's a letter to the London Times which might be a bit of an eye-opener for my American readers. I'm reproducing it in all and any emphasis is mine.

Long live the NHS

Sir, In the week of the 60th anniversary of the second reading of the NHS Bill, we would like to take the opportunity to state our belief that the United Kingdom is fortunate to have one of the fairest health systems in the world where no one need fear becoming bankrupt because of their need to fund their healthcare. It has dedicated staff who are driven by a passion for patient care and has been transforming itself into a 21st-century healthcare system of which we can all be proud.

The continued commitment of funding through tax ensures equity for patients but also makes economic sense because it is the cheapest way of collecting money. If a system is unaffordable through tax it is not affordable through any other funding system. International experience shows there is no necessary link between how systems perform and how they are funded. Any move to a health insurance system to charge patients for their care would increase bureaucracy and would leave those who need the most care with the greatest financial burden.

We are not complacent. The NHS will need to respond to the tide of rising expectations and need by improving efficiency and responsiveness. With the dedication and commitment of staff we believe that the NHS can continue its transformation and be a model for other countries.


JAMES JOHNSON Chair, British Medical Association

PHIL GRAY Chief Executive, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy

DOUGLAS SMALLWOOD Chief Executive, Diabetes UK

ANNE WEYMAN Chief Executive, fpa (Family Planning Association)

PETER CARDY Chief Executive, Macmillan Cancer Support

MARGARET MYTHEN Chief Executive, New Health Network

DR GILL MORGAN Chief Executive, NHS Confederation

DAME KARLENE DAVIS General Secretary, Royal College of Midwives

BEVERLY MALONE General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing

ANGELA GREATLEY Chief Executive, Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health

LORD ADEBOWALE Chief Executive, Turning Point

KAREN JENNINGS National Secretary, Unison

The bit I've bolded is the part Americans will be most interested in - and is exactly what I've been telling y'all for a while now.

Its particularly relevant when read alongside a report from the Associated Press that says the number of Americans uninsured has skyrocketed. (Hat tip - Kirkrrt)

The percentage of working-age Americans with moderate to middle incomes who lacked health insurance for at least part of the year rose to 41 percent in 2005, a dramatic increase from the 28 percent in 2001 without coverage, a study released on Wednesday found.

Moreover, more than half of the uninsured adults said they were having problems paying their medical bills or had incurred debt to cover their expenses, according to a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a New York-based private, health care policy foundation. The study of 4,350 adults also found that people without insurance were more likely to forgo recommended health screenings such as mammograms than those with coverage, and were less likely to have a regular doctor than their insured counterparts.

The report paints a bleak health care picture for the uninsured. "It represents an explosion of the insurance crisis into those with moderate incomes," said Sara Collins, a senior program officer at the Commonwealth Fund.