NHS out, US-Style Insurance System In
Farage has a history of stating that he wants to replace the NHS with a US insurance based healthcare system that prioritises profits over patients, which would increase the profits of private healthcare companies, while significantly increasing the costs of healthcare for everyone.
In 2019, Farage denied wanting to replace the NHS with private insurance in one breath before then saying he wants to ‘gleefully’ opt out of the NHS. But because the public funding for the NHS comes from general taxation, this opt-out he supports would mean a drastic change to how the NHS is funded. We know that whenever the Tories or Farage get public support for reforms they go for the most extreme option they can get away with e.g. Brexit.
In 2024, Farage said, “I think we’re going to have to think about healthcare very very differently and I think we’re going to have to move to an insurance- based system of healthcare.
In January 2025, Farage said he was open to anything, including a French insurance model.
Farage’s Lies about the NHS
Nigel Farage has suggested that the NHS should not be funded through general taxation, claiming the UK gets “worse bang for its buck” than other countries. While insisting care should remain “free at the point of delivery,” he offers no clear plan for funding it, effectively proposing an American-style system with higher costs and potential charges for patients.
In January 2025 Labour’s Health Secretary Wes Streeting pledged to challenge populist parties and specifically warned that Reform UK’s policies could endanger the NHS as a universal service, free at the point of use. Farage responded via X, accusing Streeting of misrepresenting Reform’s plans. Streeting countered by quoting Farage’s own remarks, where Farage suggested the French system, where those who can pay do, and those who can’t don’t, was a model for the NHS. Streeting highlighted that such a system is not truly free at the point of delivery. Farage later told LBC he was “open to anything” regarding NHS reform. Streeting seized on this, warning that Reform’s approach would leave a poor-quality NHS for the disadvantaged while forcing working people to pay for private care. He urged voters to demand clarity on Reform’s proposals before the upcoming elections.
Compare the NHS with a US-Style Private Model
Click here to plug the numbers in and see just how out of pocket you’re likely to be if Farage get their way.
STOP REFORM UK 