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A Labour MP has spoken out in favour of the NHS, saying a system based on private health insurance could leave the poor financially ‘crippled'.
Michael Foster, MP for Hastings and Rye, told the Rye and Battle Observer that he was ‘hugely proud' of the NHS, despite the criticism it has come under in recent months.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown's plans to make NHS trusts compete with one another have come under fire, and sparked fears that more people may opt to take out health insurance in the future.
“ Older residents may still remember how hard it was to cope with doctor's fees in the days before a National Health Service,” said Mr Foster. “The healthcare you got depended solely on how much, or whether, you could pay.
“It's easy to forget that is still the case in many countries including the United States – where people even on a reasonable income are crippled by debts incurred simply because they have been injured or fallen ill and cannot pay astronomical hospital fees due to "gaps" in their private health in
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