The British National Health System was created by British labour party politician Aneurin Bevan in 1948, after the II World War in order to provide a more equitable and fair health care system that did not depended exclusively on the support of charities. Underpinning the creation of the NHS was the belief that extended health care for all citizens was a right regardless of income.
Before teh creation of the NHS, only 21 million of English citizens who were inscribed in the National Health Insurance could afford to have medical care.
The rest of the population was left outside this system because they could not afford its payments. This is one of the reasons that led Mr. Bevan, Minister of Health, to create the NHS.
Today the NHS is funded on taxations but the government of David Cameron is seriously intending to privatise entirely the service, which would probably mean a return to the pre-1948 health care insurance system. A campaign to save the NHS can be found in this link
www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/Protect_our_NHS_Petition