With the new Trump administration (elected today on November, 2024), there are likely to be significant implications for the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), particularly in the context of a new US-UK trade agreement.
Previous discussions under Trump indicated a push for broad access for American companies to bid on NHS contracts.
This could benefit leading US health providers in the UK, including:
- HCA Healthcare
- Cleveland Clinic
- Mayo Clinic
- Optegra Eye Health Care.
This approach aligns with longstanding U.S. objectives to open UK markets to American firms, including the pharmaceutical sector, potentially leading to higher drug prices and increased competition from U.S. healthcare providers.
This could create pressure for NHS resources if U.S. companies gain influence over pricing and access in the UK healthcare market.
Another point of concern is Trump’s prioritisation of ‘America First’ policies, which may affect UK economic autonomy. The U.S. might press the UK to change NHS procurement policies that limit U.S. market access, arguing they depress global drug prices.
This would clash with the NHS’s cost-containment goals and could disrupt the current UK health model.
The involvement of U.S. companies could also revive debates in the UK over potential NHS privatisation, though this would face public and political resistance
Additionally, Trump’s broader foreign policy could influence the NHS indirectly, such as through shifts in the UK’s defense spending priorities or economic pressures. F
or example, if Trump demands greater UK involvement in NATO funding, this could lead to reallocation of public funds from areas like healthcare to defense, further stressing NHS budgets.
With both the NHS and the UK government looking to maintain economic stability, a Trump administration may amplify the NHS’s need to safeguard its structure and funding from external market pressures.
