It has been revealed that the NHS faces a £15 billion budget shortfall in the coming years, as a direct impact of the economic climate.

As a result, a health insurance firm has stated that the NHS could ease the pressure off, if they were to adopt affordable health insurance prices.

Mike Dalby, director of the company said: “Historically, the NHS was applauded for its effectiveness at dealing with emergency situations. [...] However, it is when faced with the millions of individuals who require treatment for short-term, acute conditions that a negative impact may be felt throughout the service.”

Dalby continues, “Now with the rising costs of medical technology, the development of highly effective drugs and the numbers of people waiting for treatment, one has to consider what effects a reduction of the NHS budget has on its patients.”

As the NHS faces hard decisions over what it can afford to pay for, the new scheme could help patients take an informed decision if the institutions money will affect their policy. This could ease the pressure on this already stretched public service.

Dalby comments, “Towards the end of 2008 and throughout the beginning of 2009 we have seen a continuous rise in the number of enquiries we receive from individuals looking to get Private Medical Insurance in place.

“We had previously identified that consumers felt waiting lists were too long and concerns about superbugs were driving them to look into alternatives. Will concerns about whether the NHS can provide the necessary treatment become a key motivator for people enquiring about health insurance? I think, inevitably, it will,” he added.