Prepare to pay more NHS tax as we live longer, warns former health secretary

Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee Chairman Jeremy Hunt said additional funds would be needed for the health service

Jeremy Hunt warned that more money would be needed (

Image: PA)

Families must be prepared to pay more tax to fund the NHS, former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned today.

The former Conservative leadership hopeful thought households would be forced to shell out more to pay for health care.

"We're all going to have to spend more on our health care, it's what matters most to us," Mr Hunt, who chairs the Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee, told the Institute think tank. for Government. .

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"If you're in America, you'll spend more through your private insurance premiums; if you're in Germany or the Netherlands, you'll spend more through your social insurance contributions; if you're in Great Britain -Britain, Ireland or New Zealand, you will spend more thanks to your taxes.

"I think no matter where you are, this is a reality and the NHS will continue to need more."

The former Tory leadership hopeful served as Health Secretary for six years (

Picture:

UK PARLIAMENT/AFP via Getty Imag)

Explaining why he thought additional funding would be needed, he continued: "We are living longer, we have fantastic new drugs - I wouldn't be surprised if within the next five years we had a cure for dementia, or at least something that prevents the symptoms from worsening.

“It would be a fantastic breakthrough for humanity and a nightmare for the person in charge of the NHS medicines budget.

According to the King's Fund health think tank, planned spending for the Department of Health and Social Care in England was £190.3 billion for 2021/22.

The Fund said: "The majority of Department spending (£136.1bn in 2021/22) is transferred to NHS England and NHS Improvement for health service spending."