Health Care in Britain and America

Report Outline
Dissatifaction of High Cost and Inadequate Coverage
British Health Service After 25 Years
Pertinence of British System to U.S.A.
Special Focus

Dissatifaction of High Cost and Inadequate Coverage

Criticism of High Cost and Inadequate Coverage

Health care in the United States has been variously described as “a scandal,” on the “verge of a breakdown” or, in the words of President Nixon, facing a “massive crisis.” The dimensions of the problem have been thoroughly documented: costs have run out of control, medical attention has become inaccessible to millions of Americans, preventive care is minimal and dozens of different medical programs lack coordination and are beset by waste and duplication. There is general agreement by all parties that change is not only desired but anticipated. Now, as the Nixon administration prepares to offer its proposals for medical care reform to the nation, and numerous other comprehensive reform measures are pending before Congress, it is instructive to look at Britain's 25 years of experience with government-sponsored health care.

British observers tend to regard the United States as poor in health considering the amount of money the nation spends on health care. These expenditures account for about 8 per cent of the U.S. gross national product, in contrast to less than 6 per cent in Britain. And it can be argued that in a number of ways the British enjoy better health and health services than their American cousins. Health-care spending in the United States exceeded $80 billion in 1972 and may reach $90 billion in 1973.

Walter J. McNerney, president of the Blue Cross Association, contends that the health field “is particularly vulnerable to the forces of inflation—as are all service industries.” A complicating factor is that “the basic supply and demand forces of the classic market are weak, or apply unevenly. Thus, quality, efficiency and effectiveness do not materialize in the ordinary course of events between purchasers and providers of the service. They must be built in.