THE BRITISH HEALTH EXPERIMENT: THE FIRST TWO YEARS OF THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE.

The article analyzes the first two years of the National Health Service in Great Britain. On November 6, 1946, the British government enacted the National Health Service Act and on July 5, 1948, the Act came into force. The purpose of this Act has been to make all the health service available to every man, woman and child of the population. The net income of the British physician has been not far out of line with general incomes. The rise of hospital charges has been large from pre-war to post-war. The money used for medical services is obtained partly from insurance contributions and partly from general taxation. The increased medical services have been at the expense of other goods and services badly needed for the economy. The diversion of more resources in the pharmaceutical business and medical appliances must also be largely at the expense of other commodities and services needed for domestic consumption or investment or for export. Through appropriate tax and pricing policies, the government has modified the spending pattern in favor of medicine. The pattern of spending the medical pound sterling has greatly changed.