For a number of years US-based hospital companies -- like those that build and manage hospitals, drug rehab, and other facilities -- have been working in the UK. Investors have also invested in UK companies.
It's become a political issue because people fear continued privatization of the NHS will increase costs and lessen quality. On the other side, the NHS -- through government funding -- has not been able to keep up with demand for healthcare resulting in long waits and people going without care.
It appears the UK is committed to keeping care free at the point of service to patients, but there is the fear privatization might change that down the road. So the government is trying to balance the need for investment in facilities, clinics, etc., with keeping care free at point of service.
Seems to me, while it's definitely desirable to keep the NHS pure, if it's not working and US or other companies can provide needed services at NHS set prices, it's probably beneficial. That assumes, the patients still get "free" care, NHS costs don't increase above where they would be otherwise, NHS can control companies (whether US, UK, Germany, . . . . . .) lobbying efforts to change the system, etc. That's a critical assumption.
In any event, this is not new. I think US hospital management firms have been in the UK since at least 2006.
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