Are we losing the NHS?

[Toby2000]

I don't know a WHOLE LOT about the ordeal, but I know that the NHS may become privatized and part of a US-UK trade deal after Brexit, according to leaked documents

I have health anxiety so I'm really scared

Can someone clarify if this is just sensationalism or if it likely will happen?

[MyNameIsTerry]

Toby,

Go with what the factchecking is saying. It doesn't say this.

https://fullfact.org/election-2019/i...s-up-for-sale/

The documents only showed the US saying they had an interest. That's just how negotiation works. The question is what we do.

Beware media nonsense. Parts of the NHS have been privatised already. The recent talks were around paying more drugs but the prices would destroy the NHS overnight so they would be impossible without massive increases in finding by central government. To be able to justify something like that would mean that trade deal would have to bring in a lot of money to offset the losses otherwise it wouldn't be feasible.

A Labour landslide awaits a GE where the Tories ditch the NHS. The danger always comes from slow trickle, which started under Blair.

No one can say for sure so we have to watch what comes of the UK-EU trade deal, which may cause problems with the UK-US one, and the UK-US one.

Today will be a frenzy of online activists claiming the sun hasn't come out because of this and the world is ending. Those of us in real world know it's just rain and it was raining yesterday too.

[Toby2000]

Toby,

Go with what the factchecking is saying. It doesn't say this.

https://fullfact.org/election-2019/i...s-up-for-sale/

The documents only showed the US saying they had an interest. That's just how negotiation works. The question is what we do.

Beware media nonsense. Parts of the NHS have been privatised already. The recent talks were around paying more drugs but the prices would destroy the NHS overnight so they would be impossible without massive increases in finding by central government. To be able to justify something like that would mean that trade deal would have to bring in a lot of money to offset the losses otherwise it wouldn't be feasible.

A Labour landslide awaits a GE where the Tories ditch the NHS. The danger always comes from slow trickle, which started under Blair.

No one can say for sure so we have to watch what comes of the UK-EU trade deal, which may cause problems with the UK-US one, and the UK-US one.

Today will be a frenzy of online activists claiming the sun hasn't come out because of this and the world is ending. Those of us in real world know it's just rain and it was raining yesterday too.

I gathered if anything it would likely just raise prices on certain drugs or something which is bad but the media, as you say, are making out that it's the end of the world, so it's quite hard to know what's true and what isn't

And thanks, I'm reassured by that article, let's just hope they don't go behind our backs

[MyNameIsTerry]

Trump wants to make other countries pay stupid amounts for drugs (it's not just us) so he can reduce the cost to Americans as part of us "us first" policy. Currently we get these drugs far cheaper through EU countries and others (India, China, etc).

That's negotiation though. You go in high on both sides saying you won't budge and compromise. We do have additional pressures because of Brexit and how much we need a trade deal but how on earth can anyone agree to one that will cripple us worse than if we just didn't sign it? The only issue on top of that are drugs we can only get from the US because they can increase prices to put pressure on other countries like us. But we can't argue that BoJo wants to cosy up the US whilst Donald wrecks our NHS with drug prices. There would be a backlash against the US. Hence it's about keeping an eye on sneaky backroom deals that get us there but by bit...some people might refer to some of the ones in recent memory as the Treaty of Maastricht and the Treaty of Lisbon

Media Bias, Toby. Read the Telegraph, Mail or Express = EU evil, US good. Read the Guardian, Mirror = US evil, EU good. As ever it's somewhere in between and we are left so often voting for who we think is the least worst rather than the best.

Basically, we just don't know as Factcheck states.

[FrankT]

What do we want American drugs for anyway? What's wrong with Swiss ones?

[MyNameIsTerry]

What do we want American drugs for anyway? What's wrong with Swiss ones?

Some drugs are only made by US forms because they created them. Until patents expire every country has to go to them. That's another one Trump wants to try in this trade deal; extending patents to make more cash (which I totally disagree with). These companies are loaded, let them carry the cost.

Why not our own drugs? We sell nearly as many out of the UK as we buy in. This was one of Corbyn's policies to create a nationalised drug business to support ourselves.

Those companies will still want to sell to us after Brexit as they don't want to lose the trade. The question is whether we drop the tariffs to allow them to be profitable. If we don't the NHS will suffer higher prices from existing contacts.

Don't forget these drug companies, no matter where they are from, have been fleecing the NHS for decades. The NHS was overpaying for drugs due to it's own incompetence e.g. buying branded rather than generic, hence for years they have been trying to reduce these costs.

American firms just want to sell more, just normal business. EU firms will be annoyed as they want to retain trade. I wonder if we might get some bonusses out of the EU for this? But it's likely politicians on that side will just secure the trade for them so they can charge what they want just as the Americans are trying now.

[Ssmith]

No, the NHS will never become 'fully privatised' although roughly about 20% of it is already privatised.

Like Terry says, there is A LOT of scaremongering out there from the left, and this is coming from somebody who has always voted Labour. Also with the Conservatives winning a lot of working class seats, they will now want to keep those seats so expect to see what has been a very right winged Boris Johnson, start to move to centre right in order to appeal to everybody.

Things aren't as doom and gloom as people make out

[ankietyjoe]

You can't ignore what's going on and claim it's scaremongering, it's far more sinister than that.

Clinging on to straws like the NHS never being fully privatised don't matter if you're more or less obliged to pay for private health insurance to receive any kind of meaningful care. This IS where things are headed now. I actually know people being advised to look into private options because their GP cannot offer them immediate care. It is their GP saying this.

This IS what Brexit and this election has been about. Imagine what the NHS is worth now, look at the actual numbers being pumped into the NHS. Now imagine it being unregulated and open to jacked up medication and care fees. You're talking hundreds of billions a year.

Things are very, very doom and gloom and sticking your head in the sand is how we've got here in the first place.

Look at how things work in the US, it is not good.

[pulisa]

We're all doomed then. We need another General Election because the ignorant public have been brainwashed by the evil Tories and It's Not Fair!!!!!

[whispershadow]

I hope we never lose the NHS .......