A US report on comparing the quality and cost effectiveness of healthcare systems in seven major countries ranked the UK #2 overall. Hardly surprising since, on 11 indicators it ranked in the top 3 of 8, and if quality and access are treated at their combined rather than disaggregated levels then it was in the top 3 on all indicators, bar longevity of healthy life.

New zealand came second because it is patient focused. The NHS is very labour intensive. If you want to be more patient focused it is going to cost considerably more. In fact, it costs about half what the US system costs in terms of GNP, and offers fantastic value for money. The room for efficiecy savings is small, and here is no basis for the Conservative plan to carve up and privatise the NHS – this is an ideological policy, designed to put even more money in the hands of David’s chums and the clients of powerful lobbyists. Efficiency in the NHS is already rated as the best in all 7 surveyed economies.

Unless the Conservative government can solve the high cost of housing, inequality and obesity the health and welfare of the poor will steadily get worse. This is not the fault of the NHS, but of political choice. And that choice is to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.

(Derived from: http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2013/08/18/a-blog-post-with-a-life-all-of-its-own-the-nhs-a-stunningly-cost-effective-supplier-of-high-quality-healthcare/#sthash.ySevmXdE.dpuf)