The UK Conservative government's attempts to introduce market principles were delayed by detailed discussion stimulated by left wing health care workers, about what a market actually means. Who has information? How efficient is it? A market in baked beans is not the same as a market in kidney transplants.
It came to be accepted that in Britain our system of GP's had to be at best surrogate consumers, or brokers for the patients.
The Labour Government is now flirting again with market principles but internally. Nobody seriously argues that patients are in the best situation to be fully informed participants directly in the market, but there is pressure that services should meet consumerist expecations of cleanliness and politeness.
Frist knows the dangers for health care organisations from within his own family. Are there not progressive groups of physicians for a national health service in the USA, who are watching this situation closely?
Chris Burford
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