http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article7100968.ece

My favorite line (and not the main point of the article) is this:

"Cancer sufferers were being barred from further NHS treatment after buying potentially life-saving medicines not offered by the health service."

So there were drugs that would save there lives, but because of cost, they were not allowed to use them. And if they got them on there own, they were removed from national healthcare?

The future of our healthcare system. Get used to it.

Mafoo, the US system is going to be extremely different to the NHS, it would be impossible for this to happen in the new US system as the new US system isn't going to be analogous to the NHS.

Also I should note that while I like the NHS, it's not a perfect system. It can be improved.

@Rath

it looks like the US system will be whatever the sitting president wants it to be.

Obama just ordered all hospitals who collect government funds to grant additional rights for Gay and Lesbian couples. If they don't comply, he has in his power the right to withhold funds. Going forward this will be almost all funds a hospital receives.

While I agree with the sentiment, I am a little worried that this basically means our health system becomes whatever the current president wants it to be. Don't want a specific drug used for a specific treatment? Just order them not to do it. No voting, no congress. Just the will of the president.

Scary if you ask me.

Title is sensationalistic and inaccurate.

Just because they have the power does not mean they will use it on any whim they have. In this case, he's just forcing fairness in a system that discriminates. You're using a slippery slope argument- until their is a reason to be concerned (such as an actual misuse of power), then we have nothing to worry about. If we spent time worrying about the things a president 'might' do, we would drown in a sea of anxiety.

If I ran a bank... and found that one of my employees could exploit a loophole to steal a bunch of moeny from the bank... furthermore an employee is aware of the same loophole and used it for something not criminal.

Does it make sense to tell me "You're being paranoid".

Any power that could be abused should be limited so it can't be abused.  Regardless of if anyone has abused it or not.  It's common sense.

...You forget it is the US, any power given to a leader can and will be exploited as he sees fit.