I could trade stories about experiences with UK and US healthcare (I've lived in both countries), but the facts speak for themselves. The UK and US are near opposite ends of the scale of healthcare expenditure per capita in the developed world, yet the average life expectancy is about the same.
I am not defending either system - I would strongly prefer something like the rest of continental Europe, which is a pragmatic mix of private and public healthcare. However, the idea that fully-public healthcare (a unique experiment in the world) is a sustainable model is a joke. It's hard to defend, when our current standard healthcare at the point of service could charitably be called "usually better than the 3rd world".
Yep. Or Australia, where all providers are private but most are free at point of service, should you choose, or if you pay out of pocket you can claim a rebate.
I went as a young man. I may have misunderstood how it works. I don't know how cost-effective it is.
I am not defending either system - I would strongly prefer something like the rest of continental Europe, which is a pragmatic mix of private and public healthcare. However, the idea that fully-public healthcare (a unique experiment in the world) is a sustainable model is a joke. It's hard to defend, when our current standard healthcare at the point of service could charitably be called "usually better than the 3rd world".