Preventive healthcare

The debate around healthcare in the UK is too often polarised between those who advocate for a US style system (private healthcare that is determined by the ability to pay, whether through insurance, income or state support) versus the UK model (the publicly funded NHS, free at the point of use). Some argue for a hybrid of both, otherwise known as the ‘social-insurance model’ or the ‘Bismarck model’ (a health care system financed through compulsory, income-related contributions paid by employers and employees). However, regardless of the delivery system, the debate often misses a crucial aspect of healthcare which is rarely…