exchemist
Veteran Member
Her proposal died, likely due to other events involving Bill
capturing everyone's attention. But I also recall in Canuckistan
when people were using medical tourism because they couldn't
buy services.
I recall an old old news item about how long the waiting list
was for CAT scans, but that one could pay for them & get
prompt service for pets.
Please don't ask for links....it was long ago, & as I recall,
Canuckistan took measures to avoid that embarrassment.
Yes in the UK we have that sort of problem, for elective procedures. The NHS is underfunded and no government in recent memory has had the balls to level with the public and tell them they need to dip their hands in their pocket and pay more for it, now that we all live longer....thanks to the health service! Hence middle class people quite often pay for private medical insurance to get elective procedures done more quickly.
It is only people on the left who argue this is somehow immoral. But in fact, a lot of best doctors in the NHS stay with it because they can top up their basic NHS earnings with private work, and because they need to be in the NHS because that remains where their reputations are made as doctors.
The system really hinges on the NHS being at the core, with optional bolt-on extras. If this principle were undermined by allowing people to opt out of the taxation and arrange rival emergency medicine privately, the whole system would fragment and disintegrate.