Money can't buy you satisfaction

doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7491.597

BMJ 2005;330:597-599 (12 March), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7491.597

Education and debate

US and UK health care: a special relationship?

Money can't buy you satisfaction

Chris Ham, professor¹

¹ University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2RT

Correspondence to: c.j.ham@bham.ac.uk

Organisational differences between the US and UK healthcaresystems mean that ideas have to be adapted through learningpartnerships rather than simply copied

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Introduction

The NHS performs as well as or better than the US healthcaresystem on many objective indicators. Yet the United Kingdomshows greater interest in learning from the United States thanvice versa. Is this paradox a consequence of American insularity,British credulity, or some other factor? And is there any prospectof the balance of trade in health policy ideas being reversed?If so, what aspects of health care in the United Kingdom shouldthe United States be studying and seeking to learn from?

Comparing the two systems

Take the facts first. The United States spends almost 15% ofgross domestic product on health care¹ compared with less than8% in the United Kingdom.² Population health as measured byinfant mortality and life expectancy are broadly comparablein the two countries and lag behind those achieved in high performingsystems like Japan and Sweden.³ Although the majority of thepublic in both the . . . [Full text of this article]

Lessons taken from the United States

Explaining the paradox

What might the United States learn from Britain?

Multilateral rather than bilateral learning

Conclusion

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