P.S.

[poliphilo]

Since I wrote the last post, David Cameron (the leader of the British Conservative Party) has had to undertake a damage limitation exercise after a Conservative MEP (Member of the European Parliament) went on American TV to rubbish the
National Health Service.

Over here, you see, even Conservatives (which roughly- very roughly- translates as Republicans) think socialized medicine is a good thing. 

Comments

[tf-1.livejournal.com]

I think they do have committees to decide which cases get funded and which don't. After all, a hospital's budget is finite. And I think this can be very difficult for people who sit on the committees, who have to decide to prolong the life of persons A and B, or save person C etc.
I also think that you get a similar thing with private healthcare, albeit profit driven. The insurer is going to want to limit what they pay out and maximise profits, which means you get fine print and certain things not covered.
From a high level private and public healthcare are very similar: everyone who can afford to pays into a pot, and a minority seek treatment at any one time. Both systems allow for the richer people to get better treatment (they are both flawed in this respect). I think the private system is just a bit more responsive to how much money you can afford to put in, or shall we say less fair. This is great when you're rich, but bad when you're poor.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

Oh, I absolutely agree that committees exist to allocate finite resources in all walks of life; the NHS included.

I just think that calling them 'Death Committees' is not conducive to a reasoned debate, and anyone from the Right arguing that their reasonable points aren't being heard should perhaps consider that.

[jfs.livejournal.com]

The other point, which seems to get lost in the debate.

Britain has a very strong private medical insurance industry. There is nothing stopping you getting your own medical insurance alongside the provision that the NHS makes.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Quite so.

My parents used to subscribe to a private health scheme called BUPA. When I came of age my father offered to keep on covering me and I said "no thank you" because (a) I'm a lefty and (b) because I believed and still believe in the adequacy of the NHS.