Marsh McLennan argues that tax reforms would incentivise improved employer-funded healthcare and relieve pressure on the NHS.
Professional services firm Marsh McLennan has called for reform of the tax treatment of employer-funded healthcare to help boost employee access to preventative healthcare, improve productivity and reduce pressure on the NHS.
The report highlights the importance of introducing national standards for patient consent and data sharing across the public and private health sectors. Doing so, it says, could enable general practitioners, diagnostic teams and specialist clinicians to share information more easily, which could improve the triage process, enhance preventative care and boost efficiency, especially in time-sensitive areas such as cardiology.
“To secure the future of the NHS, we need to improve co-operation between the public and private health sectors,” said Chris Bailey, Mercer Marsh Benefits’ UK managing director.
Barrier for employers
The report argues that the existing UK tax policy creates a barrier for employers who want to provide healthcare benefits to their employees. For every £1 employers spend on healthcare, they incur costs of up to £1.26 due to the taxes imposed on employer-funded health insurance policies.
The report also identifies workforce planning, digital transformation and delivering healthcare through specialised regional hubs as being crucial to improving NHS provision and particularly conducive to public–private sector co-operation. It proposes solutions, such as rotational staff programmes across NHS trusts and private providers, alongside shared training platforms, and expanding centres of excellence, especially where volume improves outcomes for routine procedures. Matching clinicians’ expertise to patient needs, or skills matching, is also seen as vital to building a flexible, resilient workforce capable of meeting rising demand.
The report’s findings are drawn from consultations with senior healthcare professionals, including NHS Trust and NHS England executives, clinical leaders, insurers and private sector health providers.
