ABSTRACT

There is also a group of patients found in these systems who are not covered by either and these must be considered to be a third group ‘‘self-pay patients.’’ There is also a fourth group, those patients who cannot afford to pay and so do not get treatment. Is there a difference between the two main resource systems of the United States and the U.K.? It is widely believed in the United Kingdom that the National Health Service provides an all-encompassing care for patients in the cancer and oncology category. This is seen as providing a deeper level of care particularly for the older patient with cancer than insurance-based systems, which may limit care. However, even in Britain limitations are put on care and potential treatments limited by resources. This was shown in the Courts in the U.K., where in this case a health authority-the provider-declined to pay for a child to undergo further therapy because of the cost and the authority had other priorities (2).