[_zg4q]

> Can you explain to me what you think is happening in your Telegraph link?

Smokers and obese people are being prevented from receiving surgeries that are not deemed "essential" unless they stop smoking for 8 weeks or loose weight, respectively.

> In particular, why you think this is "the NHS" and not some specific services in one part of the country

Maybe this question isn't to be taken literally, but multiple articles' titles with some variation of "NHS bans some obese and smokers from surgery 'indefinitely'"

> and also why these patients can't make use of private healthcare instead.

As of 2015, only 10.5% of population was using private insurance [0]. We could assume roughly 89.5% of population is covered by the NHS since it's given by default. If you cannot afford private insurance, you will only have NHS.

In my opinion, I believe having a public option will slowly eliminate private insurance or at least reduce the types of services available. Additionally I think it's dangerous for the government to set that sort of precedent.

[0] https://www.commonwealthfund.org/international-health-policy...

[DanBC]

When you say "The NHS" people think it's a national thing. The discussion in your article isn't a measure being talked about by the NHS, it's a thing being talked about one clinical commissioning group. There are about 135 CCGs in England. Vale of York CCG covers a population of about 360,000 people. (Out of a total of 60 million in the UK).

> If you cannot afford private insurance, you will only have NHS.

Yes, that's the point. If you can't afford private healthcare in the US you have much more limited options.

[kuzimoto]

Guess I didn't read the article thoroughly enough! Darn all the sensationalist headlines...

Well thanks for pointing out my errors in a nice way.