General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump suggested he wants British health system included in trade talks
Instead, Trump may have inadvertently played into some of Britons worst fears about their post-Brexit future when he suggested that Britains National Health Service (NHS) could be a part of a U.S.-Britain trade deal.
When youre dealing on trade, everything is on the table so NHS or anything else, and a lot more than that, the president said when asked about the position of Britains health system in a trade deal. Everything will be on the table, absolutely.
Trumps vague answer to the question may suggest he hadnt given the idea much thought. However, British news outlets have been keeping an eye on the issue in recent weeks.
----
Now there are fears that a trade deal with the United States could open up the NHS to profit-driven U.S. business interests and, with it, the creeping possibility of privatization.
I think the entire economy, in a trade deal, all things that are traded would be on the table, Woody Johnson, U.S. ambassador to Britain, said during an interview with the BBC on Sunday.
Would that mean health care? I would think so, Johnson responded.
--------
Founded in 1948, it is the largest single-payer health system in the world and primarily funded by the British government.
The behemoth system is simultaneously one of the most lauded and derided parts of British life. Polls have shown that the NHS is more cherished than the monarchy or the British army but also that many Britons are dissatisfied with the service and worried about its future.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2019/06/04/brits-are-fiercely-protective-their-health-care-system-trump-suggested-he-wants-it-included-trade-talks/?utm_term=.0592ddbc33f1
![](du4img/smicon-reply-new.gif)
BeyondGeography
(39,367 posts)Well show em how its done.
trev
(1,480 posts)Hopefully the Brits will fight this vehemently.
I don't know about their particular system, but the national German system works very, very well. My neighbors in Stuttgart loved it (they were in their 70s), and I used it myself on several occasions. Excellent care, cost me nothing. The US military used to refer soldiers to it for some health conditions.
Aristus
(66,310 posts)Germany uses the Bismark system, instituted by the Iron Chancellor himself. It is a system of public and private clinics, hospitals, and specialty care providers all accessible by German citizens for health care. And the government pays the bills. It's the system I think would work best here in the US.
The UK uses the Beveridge system, which is closer to what we think of as socialized medicine. The clinics, hospitals, doctors, nurses, and allied health personnel are all government-owned or employed. It's a true system of 'government health care'. The UK does have private insurance companies and private medical facilities for rich people who want to feel special. But everyone gets the same basic level of health care.
trev
(1,480 posts)I did visit a private practitioner once (a dermatologist), but most of my experience was with the hospitals.
Thanks for the info.
There are several excellent books out there that detail the concept of national health care/insurance. The pros and cons, as well as the various systems out there, which all tend to be one form or another of the two basic systems I mentioned above.
trev
(1,480 posts)TheBlackAdder
(28,182 posts)Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Trump *doesn't* know how Brexit works...
Trump *doesn't* know how the NHS works...
Trump *doesn't* know how NATO works...
Trump *doesn't* know how trade deals work...
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Other countries do it too. Heck, the Cleveland Clinic, among others, operate clinics in U.K.