Paying for the NHS
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CHAPTER 3
Executive Summary
Executive Summary The principal driver of change in healthcare over the next ten years will be our ageing society. In 2008, 22% of the population were aged sixty or over. This proportion is increasing rapidly and by 2033, will have reached nearly 29%. As life expectancy increased, women can now expect to live to 82 and men to 78.
This report poses interesting questions about the balance of power between the state and the individual in determining the future health of British citizens. It is widely accepted that the NHS will be forced to fundamentally change the way it provides healthcare in the next decade, slowly shifting more of the burden from the state towards the individual.
This report aims to better understand how the balance will shift by analysing both the role of the state and changing behaviours among the public.
Our principal findings are:
• The NHS will fundamentally change by 2020 The core principle of care that is free at the point of use will remain but the scope of coverage will decline.
• Individuals will be responsible for their own health 76% of us agree that we are responsible for our own health. Preventative medicine may provide a way forward but a third of us need to be incentivised to lead healthy lifestyles. While we might be aware of government guidelines and health advice, we don’t often act on it.
• Unhealthy behaviours will be penalised Faced with the failure of persuasion and escalating health costs, policy makers will increasingly restrict and even prohibit unhealthy behaviours. They will have the support of a voluble New Puritan group.
• Measure for measure: Self diagnosis comes of age Technology promises to improve the health of the nation often from the comfort of people’s own homes. Developments in self-monitoring will help doctors provide a better quality of care.
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Research Papers
- Pension Reform
- Working Women
- Coping classes
- Health & wellbeing
- Ageing & retirement
- Employment
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