Leaked Document Reveals US Drug Firms Are Pushing Trump To Target The NHS After Brexit
Source: Business Insider
US health firms believe the NHS will be easier to crack after Brexit, according to a leaked document which reveals pressure on the Trump administration to open up Britain's free healthcare system as part of a trade deal with the UK.
The document, written by the Chamber of Commerce and Coalition of Services Industries, indicates that US negotiators believe that contracts to supply the NHS with drugs will be easier to secure once it has left the EU, and is a smaller negotiating partner.
The document, which was leaked to the Mirror newspaper, states that: "Concerns about potential impacts on Britain's National Health Service are being aired. It should prove easier to overcome these challenges with the UK as an individual negotiating partner." The document also confirms that the US will demand the right for pharmaceutical companies to bid for health services in the UK.
"The United States will seek rules that prohibit, across all services sectors, discrimination against foreign services suppliers and restrictions on the number of services suppliers in the market," the document states. The prospect of a free trade agreement with the US has often been trumpeted as one of the main attractions of leaving the EU. -More...
Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/leaked-document-reveals-us-drug-firms-trump-target-nhs-brexit-2019-12
Experts have warned that both British hospitals and patients would have to pay billions more for drugs if the UK did agree to a trade deal with Trump.
A major recent report cautioned that the NHS would be loaded with a much bigger bill for medication and denied the chance to use cheaper alternatives if it agreed to US demands. "Regarding pricing, the USA objectives [in the trade deal talks] seek to 'provide full market access [in the UK] for US products'[...] Under the [VPAS] scheme, NHS expenditure on branded medicines is capped, ensuring predictability of expenditure for the NHS on the entire branded medicines bill.
"One can imagine that such a scheme would not meet the USA's objectives, which if achieved would result in higher prices for medicines and pass on costs to both patients and the NHS," the report said.
Trump denies the NHS is on the table..
------------
- Universal Health Care & the UK Election; Brits Love the NHS, Think US Health Care Is Terrible, Dec. 4, 2019.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/1016243473
- Brits Try Guessing the Cost $$$ of US Health Care- Shocker! VIDEO
Link to tweet
= new reply since forum marked as read
or they'll end up like us! Serious business..
