Letters: Unless more people pay for their own healthcare, the NHS will collapse

 Pension Shortfall
More taxation is not the answer to the rising costs of health and social care Credit: Kirsty O'Connor /PA

SIR – Your leading article (March 18) is right in stating that more taxation is not the answer to the rising costs of health and social care.

The lazy reaction of Labour and too many Conservative MPs is to call for more resources, requiring even more of taxpayers’ money. This will only drive the NHS to collapse under its ever-increasing costs.

It is essential to consider ways to encourage people to provide for their own health and social care by, among other things, allowing insurance premiums to be tax deductible and/or by issuing vouchers to be used for private treatment. This would relieve pressure on the NHS and make a larger and competitive private sector more likely to develop.

All this...

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