Seen from France the US and UK and health care systems are very much alike, in broad terms. The reform currently being implemented in France aims at ultimately (target 2012) getting rid of the fixed and annually budgeted payment, whatever the actual expenses, with public  and not for profit private hospitals being compensated for losses so that their budget is structurally balanced.
The widening gap with private for profit hospitals which have been paid on a DRG basis for a long time now prompted a will to harmonise public and private hospital funding schemes. My understanding is that the same is going on in the UK with the PbR system.

Whether this will prove to be in the interest of patients is another debate.

When through hell, just keep going. W. Churchill