Private healthcare the ‘ new normal’ in the UK? – Healthcare Economist

Perhaps so according to the health policy editor at the Guardian. He writes that as NHS has grown weaker, private medical insurance is becoming a more attractive option.

The long delays for NHS care that are now endemic – and cause so much worry, risk and harm to those left waiting – are not going to get better anytime soon, as the Institute for Fiscal Studies said last week. 

The Institute for Fiscal Studies report said it could take months to get a hip or knee replacement surgery or even a cataract surgery to improve eye sight.

Because of these problems, the private insurance is growing in the UK.

Recent figures from Healthcode…showed record numbers of procedures were performed on people with private medical insurance (PMI) in private clinics and hospitals during 2023 – more than £4bn in activity…Recent figures from Healthcode, which tracks the use of private healthcare, showed record numbers of procedures were performed on people with private medical insurance (PMI) in private clinics and hospitals during 2023 – more than £4bn in activity.

Common procedures that patients are getting through private health insurance include blood tests, knee replacements, peripheral nerve blocks, eardrum surgery and tonsil removal.

Moreover, private hospitals in England are providing more care for NHS patients–similar to how the VA may outsource some care to private providers. In fact,

…private hospitals in England are performing record numbers of procedures on NHS patients, paid for by the NHS – 1.67m last year compared with 1.3m in 2019.

Many employers are also offering private medical insurance to employee as a perk to attract and retain talent.

The article concludes with the following:

Even a Labour government committed to reviving the NHS will not seek to disturb its growing interdependence with the private sector. One patient’s desperation boosts one private provider’s dividend, yes, but it also means that person gets care which the enfeebled, overwhelmed NHS can no longer provide when it is needed. Tragically, that will not change anytime soon.

A recent Daily Mail article provides some statistics.