Britain's Unavoidable Health-Care Choice

摘要

Can a relatively low-tax country run a high-quality, taxpayer-funded health service that's free to all? A look at Britain's National Health Service suggests the answer is no. The NHS is good at some things but bad, bordering on disastrous, at others. Its great virtue is truly universal coverage, no questions asked-and by international standards, the system is also cheap to run. As a result, though, it's perpetually short of money, and the service is erratic. Today the NHS is yet again dealing with a financial crisis and a surge of complaints about standards.