Private medical care in Britain has so far been dominated by large US companies with an eye on the lucrative business market. But as Brass Tacks showed last week, some National Health Service managers have now entered the fray with an aggressive policy of private deals. 'We can beat the Americans at their own game,' claims one.
But is this the only way to keep hospital wards open, and reduce NHS waiting lists? Does it contradict the very principles for which British medical care is renowned? And does it now mean that the future of the NHS depends on more people going private?
Join John Harrison in the Brass Tacks studio to decide if private patients are a healthy investment for the NHS.
BBC North West