I am a huge fan of Britain’s National Health Service (NHS), but probably not for the reasons many people might assume. It’s not because it’s “socialist” (a horribly inaccurate description), or that it’s nationalized, or anything like that. I’m a huge fan because somehow the people of Britain have developed the courage to talk about health care using very adult language. In the U.S., we can rarely progress beyond the equivalent of screaming toddler fits.
The British economy took a larger hit from the recession of 2008-9 than much of the rest of the world. Irrational exuberance apparently crossed the Atlantic and took root in the London financial markets. The NHS has been under the reality of “austerity” ever since (read tax hikes and budget cuts). No one is happy about the situation, but they soldier on discussing their options and trying to continue to do what the U.S. can’t: deliver the best care possible living within the realities of fixed budgets.
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