The NHS was branded a “divisive influence” on society by think tank Civitas back in 2007 and many people still believe that system still favours the middle class over the welfare of the poor.

The report suggested that patients in Wales were forced to wait up to 47 days for an MRI scan, whereas those in the North East were expected to wait 100 days. Health inequalities across Britain have got worse between social classes during the past decade, increasing by 4 per cent amongst men and up 11 per cent in women.

It is thought that people with lower income, lower education status and ethnic minorities make more use of primary care than those of higher income and education status, their rates of referral to secondary and tertiary care is also low.

Government programmes targeted at limiting health inequalities across UK have failed to show what actually works, despite a recent report suggesting that there was an overall improvement in health.

Are cash incentives the answer?

Recent government proposals that could see people offered cash directly have been dismissed as unworkable and many anti-cash incentive advocates believe that vouchers could be the best way forward. It is believed that vouchers are more reliable and could be used to buy goods or services aimed at ensuring an individual’s healthy lifestyle including food, gym membership and furniture among others.

Germany is reportedly offering reduced social insurance contributions for people who take part in smoking cessation, screening and dieting classes.

In Britain, cash incentives could encourage more people to increase exercise levels with a survey by Newcastle University showing that more than 60 per cent are likely to up their fitness regime when given financial incentives.

However, critics argue that although cash incentives are deemed an important tool in fighting health inequalities, the concern is that they may not be well thought out and could prove difficult to substantiate.

Why PMI is still an attractive option

Private medical insurance increasingly appeals to people who are concerned over their ability to access certain drugs and treatments on the NHS.

The treatment of cancer is one area that still carries regional variations and reports suggest that this is partly due to people’s unhealthy habits such as smoking and heavy drinking and inequalities associated with access to healthcare services and GPs.

PMI providers such as CIGNA HealthCare are now cashing in on what is seen as NHS shortcomings. The insurer’s customers can now get direct referrals for diagnostic procedures by their GP under new plans unveiled in January.

Other health insurance providers including Bupa say that traditional PMI can offer people faster access to treatments that are yet to be approved for use in the NHS by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Bupa members have received cancer drugs such as Avastin and Herceptin “months” before NHS patients were eligible and members have a chance to benefit from breakthrough drugs not yet available elsewhere.

Those defending the manner in which the NHS has handled its health services so far, say that unlike other countries, Britain dose not have universal electronic records of their citizens. Without the data, the NHS‘s ability to identify which individual citizens need more funding than others is hindered.