2010

The Report of the Ministerial Review Group, Meeting the Challenge (the “Horn Report”), claims that real health care costs will increase by almost 100% in the next 20 years as the population ages “and as more of us live longer with chronic long-term conditions”. This scenario is used to argue that the only way we… Read more »

The health system needs more money each year just to maintain its current standards and services. The population increases, the population ages, new treatments become available and general costs rise, as do new technology, pharmaceutical and salary costs.

The Health Vote in the 2010 Budget was barely adequate to keep up with rising costs and population growth and ageing, but not adequate to fund new treatments. Instead it funded increases in services at the cost of cuts in others. In addition there are substantial new cost pressures as a result of inflation, forecast… Read more »