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Health and B rexit
Author(s) -
Wildman John,
Baker Rachel,
Donaldson Cam
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
health economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.55
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1099-1050
pISSN - 1057-9230
DOI - 10.1002/hec.3528
Subject(s) - brexit , referendum , european union , political science , politics , public relations , public administration , law , economics , economic policy
Following the U.K.'s vote to leave the European Union in the referendum of June 23, 2016, we surveyed 100 health economists regarding their opinions on “Brexit.” Researchers have started to consider the challenges of Brexit (Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 2017). However, the impact on health and health services is often not directly considered. The NHS has always been a political “football”, and the EU referendum campaign was no exception. The claim of “£350m‐a‐week” for the NHS, made during campaigning, was one of the most eye‐catching elements of the Vote Leave message. However, as predicted by many commentators, this claim has been watered down following the vote to leave. With Article 50 triggered on March 29, now is a valuable time to report on those views and the challenges that Brexit may pose. Academics and policy leaders (dare we call them “experts”?) are a rich source for considering where the benefits and challenges for the NHS lie and how, potentially, we can optimise the benefits and ameliorate the impact of the challenges– especially with no historical precedent to call on (as ibid). Even though all of our respondents (59% response rate) were in favour of remaining in the EU, they identified positives and negatives, with a key focus on the labour force and the single market.