The New Party--The Prime Minister’s Message on Health: Right Diagnosis, Wrong Cure

The New Party believes that the prime minister is right to say that governments cannot make choices for people and that people should take more responsibility for their own health. Unfortunately his Government has done the exact opposite by pouring vast sums of money - over £3,000 per household each year - into an NHS that is still more or less a state monopoly.

[ClickPress, Thu Jul 27 2006] The New Party believes that the prime minister is right to say that governments cannot make choices for people and that people should take more responsibility for their own health. Unfortunately his Government has done the exact opposite by pouring vast sums of money - over £3,000 per household each year - into an NHS that is still more or less a state monopoly.

New Party spokesman Dr Nigel Knight comments:

“However reckless people are with their own health, the state insulates them from the full consequences of their actions. A far better approach would be to put health spending directly in the hands of patients by funding the individual to take out private health insurance.”

Giving state-funded personal insurance policies to everyone, irrespective of their health, would pay for all essential medical treatment in the private sector, within the NHS or overseas. Insurance companies would have to organise suitable treatment on time and high quality treatment can often be delivered faster and cheaper in other countries.

There would need to be subsidies for those unable to pay and those with chronic long-term conditions. Nevertheless, proper incentives and disincentives would go a long way to encourage the sort of personal responsibility that the prime minister is seeking.


ENDS:


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Notes for editors:

1. NHS spending in real terms (2006-7 prices) will have risen from £47.2 billion in 1999-2000 to £90.2 billion by 2007-8, a near doubling of expenditure. (Source: Department of Health)

2. In a recent report by the think-tank Reform, it was noted that performance improvements in the NHS have been much less significant than the Government has argued and, despite the extra resources, the financial position of the NHS looks set to worsen dramatically after 2007-8 without a "productivity miracle".

3. A number of firms now offer operations in the EU (see, for example: http://www.european.careassist.co.uk/) and beyond (see: http://travel.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,7445,1214027,00.html )

4. The New Party has been formed to give the people of the UK a progressive alternative to the existing parties.

5. The Labour & Conservative parties have now held exclusive power for over 80 years

6. The New Party has the endorsement of Sir John Harvey-Jones http://www.newparty.co.uk/people/sirjohnharveyjones.asp

7. You can sign up to receive New Party *Email Alerts*


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