This shift marks an existential crisis for the NHS: if younger generations don’t use it, they won’t want to pay for itIt is 10.25am on a Friday and I am Googling “online pharmacies”. I have a mild infection and I weigh up whether talking to an AI doctor will be more efficient than queueing at my GP surgery before the weekend. After a seven-minute multiple-choice questionnaire, I am deemed eligible for antibiotics: a single sachet is £43. I close the page and consider spending the cash self-medicating with a family-size Uber Eats instead.I thought of this later as I read the news that half of millennials in the UK are planning to use private healthcare in the next year. A survey by the Independent Healthcare Provider Network found that those aged 34 to 44 were the most likely age group to go private. Forty-nine per cent said they were likely to use it in the next 12 months, with young professionals increasingly opting for employment with medical insurance. Forget career progression or annual leave, nowadays jobseekers want eye tests and cancer checks.Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnist. She is the author of Who Wants Normal? The Disabled Girls’ Guide to Life Continue reading…