Reform Media Summary

28 February 2008

In today’s Media Summary, Helen Rainbow, Reform’s Senior Research Officer, appeared on the Glenn Beck show on US TV station CNN to discuss the differences between the UK and US health systems, she also appeared on Talk 107, an Edinburgh based radio station, to discuss health reform, Andrew Haldenby appeared on Newsnight last night to contribute to a discussion of welfare reform and Jack Straw has reportedly dropped plans to amend law on prostitution in order to ensure that legislation to ban prison officers from striking is passed by 8 May.

Health

Helen Rainbow, Reform’s Senior Research Officer, appeared on the Glenn Beck show on US TV station CNN to discuss the differences between the UK and US health systems, she also appeared on Talk 107, an Edinburgh based radio station, to discuss health reform (Glenn Beck show, Talk 107).

Andrew Lansley: taxpayer-funded health spending will rise to 11 per cent of GDP. Interviewed in the Times, the Shadow Health Secretary says: “Over 25 years if we don't achieve better health outcomes we become potentially unsustainable, or they will become potentially unsustainable in a purely taxpayer-funded system. America, arguably, is itself moving towards a situation where its healthcare expenditures are unsustainable but they are not all funded out of taxation. We don’t want to get to that position. We are at, what, 9 per cent of GDP. We don’t want to get to 14 per cent of GDP. We’re probably going to get to 11 simply through the progress of rising health expenditure and life” (Times, p.1, p.31 [political position]; Telegraph, p.12).