>> She's also married to an MP (John Penrose) who is on the advisory committee of
>> the 1828 think tank.
>>
>> Which would like to see the NHS turned into an insurance-led service, and has previously
>> lobbied for the disbanding of PHE.
At risk of diverting the conversation, my recent experience of an insurance-led service overseas when dealing with my father's health was pretty impressive. Despite being in a foreign country, with a foreign language and a system I am not used to, I was able to access a vast range of services at minimal if no cost, very rapidly and with a high level of diagnostic equipment. On top of that, the insurer has social workers and specialist nurses who visit the patient at home and provide a great deal of 24 hour accessible support which is very comforting.
New immigrants to the country are given a battery of tests (pretty much a whole of body MoT) at no cost as soon as they register with the family doctor. The only downside is that patients need to contribute to prescription costs as a proportion of the actual cost rather than a flat rate and I don't know if poorer people get additional help.
That is not to knock the NHS which has served me well, but then I have not really needed it. My children on the other hand have and especially in mental health, we have had to self-fund expensive treatment.
If the NHS was such a great system every country would have it; they don't.
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