City AM: Britain’s healthcare system is on the critical list – why are medical unions in denial?
We now spend over 8 per cent of GDP on health. It is the second-largest area of expenditure for the government after welfare. Yet in the developed world’s league tables we fare appallingly. One study by the Taxpayers’ Alliance estimates that compared to other European countries an extra 12,000 deaths occur a year in the UK due to inferior healthcare. We have poor cancer survival rates and comparatively high deaths from circulatory disease. Data from overseas suggest that either European-style, insurance-based funding or, better still, a savings account system as in Singapore would produce better health outcomes at a lower cost.
