the corner office

Oh boy, the NHS hoo-ha gets my back up.

• people seem to be confusing the desirability of universal healthcare with the efficacy of the NHS in providing it.

• similarly, and as I said on twitter, lots of people seem to think that the NHS is great simply because the idea of getting medical treatment is great. Again, these are two different things.

• people do not understand the concept of opportunity cost.

• in my experience, the NHS is absolutely lousy compared to the standards of private healthcare you'd get in South Africa, and after you factor in things like prescription fees, national insurance and the fact that seeing doctors for free doesn't mean they're actually going to treat you, I don't believe that my medical care in the UK is any cheaper than the private medical insurance I paid for in South Africa.

• that, of course, is not the case for poorer Britons. So by all means, credit the NHS for providing medical care for poor people, but don't pretend that poor people are getting top quality health care, because they're not. And don't pretend that people who could in other countries afford top-quality private health care are getting a good deal, because they're not: they're being shafted.

• central planning does not work. It amazes me how so many people wish this reality away just because they don't like the implications.