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The National Health Service — Can it Survive?
Author(s) -
Edward Nigel
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
significance
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.123
H-Index - 21
eISSN - 1740-9713
pISSN - 1740-9705
DOI - 10.1111/j.1740-9713.2006.00194.x
Subject(s) - pride , rationing , welfare , service (business) , point (geometry) , welfare state , population , state (computer science) , health care , health services , business , economic growth , medicine , economics , political science , environmental health , marketing , law , market economy , computer science , geometry , mathematics , algorithm , politics
The National Health Service is valuable. It is also expensive. Its promise of universal health care, free to all at the point of delivery, is a source of pride and some comfort, and is also perhaps the greatest achievement of the welfare state. But with demands on it rising, and a population that lives longer into expensive old age, can it possibly be sustained? Should there be rationing? Must the funding be changed? Nigel Edwards examines the dilemmas.