The Relevance of the U.S. Experience to the Reforms in the British National Health Service: The Case of General Practitioner Fund Holding

A primary purpose of the health care reforms proposed by the British government is the introduction of market forces in the allocation of medical care resources, giving patients a greater choice of medical care providers. As indicated in the White Paper on the British government's proposals, some desirable outcomes of these reforms are an increased sensitivity of the health care system to consumer needs and an enlargement of the private sector role, which would allow greater efficiency and responsiveness to market forces (1).