Since 1948, the United Kingdom has famously had a “single payer,” government-run health care system. The “British model” was, of course, a major inspiration for American Democrats’ controversial health care reform bill, enacted over public opposition in March.
Do we really want to adopt the British system? Bloated and inefficient, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) employs a staggering 1.6 million people—more than most armies (see figure)—and British patients endure long waits for certain services, explicit rationing, and often inferior medical outcomes.
These problems have caused newly elected Prime Minister David Cameron to propose the most sweeping overhaul of the NHS in its 60-year history, a major reform that would cut out layers of bureaucracy and put 70% of the health care budget, for the first time, in the hands of doctors and patients.
In a new paper, Joint Economic Committee Republicans explain how reality is forcing Britons to rethink government-run health care. The paper asks: Why is the US moving toward the British model, when the British themselves are moving away from it?
Download PDF of full study here.
