Because the aim is to get to the point where they can say "The NHS clearly isn't working so we need to introduce American-style health insurance to pay for increased staffing levels and improved services. Entirely coincidentally, my wife runs a health insurance business."

Hunt literally co-wrote a book on how to turn the NHS into a US-style system, and members of his family are prominent in private healthcare.

Understand now?

To nudge things closer to a long-term goal of abolishing the NHS? The Tories tried to prevent the NHS being created and have regularly attacked it ever since…

Intentional defunding of the NHS as others have mentioned while providing a bribe to the people who don't notice that they are considerably worse off under this chancellor let alone the multitude of chancellors up to and including Osbourne.

Personally I was surprised that they didn't do some income tax shuffle instead so it could benefit pensioners as well.

Gotta buy some votes somehow.

The freeze in tax bands more than makes up for the cuts.