Health care in the UK and the USA: Heading in opposite directions?

Recent changes in the health care systems of the UK and the US have resulted in an interesting irony. While both systems are plagued by similar problems, the directions chosen to create improvement have been quite different. At the same time that the US has leaned toward greater government control in health care, more free market principles are being applied to the system in the UK. US experience of privatized health care shows that although efficiency and the quality of care can be improved, a large degree of government control must be maintained in order to guarantee a high quality level of care throughout the population. Matters of consensus, access and representation are also important in policy and practice developments. The potential dangers of changes in the UK are highlighted.