This Sceptered Isle - Part DLXXIV

“NHS pulls the plug on its £11bn IT system”

Hey, isn’t that good news!??!  This means the Fair Kathleen has lots more programming and systems design expertise available to help her fix the federal Exchanges she’s responsible for!

In theory, the UK system was intended "to result in improved quality of care and lower costs. This theory is also widely touted by health care observers in the U.S."  As we noted at the time (6 years ago!):

“As with all theory, the true test is whether it works in real life. No better way to tell than to try it out. And - maybe - the best place to try it out is somewhere else not here.”

Now, after lo! these many years and mountains of British taxpayer money, the U.K government has decided that real life is tougher than they thought - and expresses its regret (well, sort of), to wit: “a department spokesman said: "The Government recognises the weaknesses of a top-down, centrally imposed IT system.” Not to mention the cost - 11 billion British pounds sterling is nearly 18 billion US dollars.

Just to clarify, it’s the U.K. Government – not ours - that recognizes its strategic error.

Sadly, our present administration has not learned this lesson.  And with each passing day it becomes more obvious that learning this lesson is going to cost American taxpayers a lot more than $18 billion.