How to Pay for Health Care: Public and Private Alternatives (Choice in Welfare)
by David Gladstone
Category: Medical care

The National Health Service (NHS) in England, created just over 50 years ago, was regarded as the jewel in the crown of the post-war welfare state. It was launched on the assumption that, once the backlog of ill health had been treated, demand for its services would drop. The reverse proved to be the case. The NHS retains its popularity, but the complaints about 'under-funding' are as insistent as ever. Indeed, the revered status of the NHS is in itself part of the problem: any attempt at reform is perceived as an attack on a respected national institution. In this collection of essays the authors investigate different ways in which health care could be funded.