How much does the NHS cost?
A reasonable estimate of the cost in 2001 would be £62 billion. The current UK population is exactly 60 million which produces an average cost of £1,033. Mr Brown mentions a ‘British family’ and so if we multiply £1,033 by the average household size of 2.4 we arrive at a figure of £2,480. This means that the NHS is currently costing the average household about £207 per month. Compared with the highest figure mentioned by Mr Blair that means the additional cost would be £33 more per month for the average household. It would be well worth it if that figure would allow us to get rid of waiting lists (France has none to speak of), increase the number of medical workers, get rid of mixed-sex wards as well as wards with 30-40 beds jam-packed together, allow us access to the best in medical technology, and allow standards of cancer and heart care to match those in the rest of Europe. Confusing the method of funding with the impact of extra resources Mr Blair says that people who sing the prai
