Quote:
Originally Posted by the_neurotic_cat
Profit and Healthcare are just incompatible. I'd rather have spending accountable to the ballot box than some distant anonymous bank manager.
|
I'd rather have spending accountable to those who are paying, and an independent non-political body such as, hmm, an Office of Budgetary Responsibility say, to ensure that unrealistic amounts aren't being spend as bribes at the ballot box to the detriment of both public finances and efficiency of healthcare provision.
Not that this ever happens of course
I disagree that profit and healthcare are completely incompatible. At the front line I would agree that it's a precarious relationship and healthcare will never be super profitable however profit and quality are not always on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Certainly there is profit to be made from support services. Doing things well reduces their cost to provide, splitting the difference on that saving between the health service and the provider of support means government saves and profit is made.
The ideal is, of course, that the NHS can handle everything itself as well or better than if it were reduced in size via segmentation or private companies involved. This is also not the case, the bigger the NHS gets in terms of staff and spending the less and less value it provides for that money.