I've posted on this matter before, but it's important so I'll repeat it;

I've lived in the US and the UK, and I've witnessed or in some cases experienced first hand both the best and worst of both systems.

In the UK, every time I have seen an ambulance called, they have been on the scene in 5 minutes. ...But I have also waited 6 months for a 5 minute ultrasound. ...But I have also been admitted into hospital in 20 minutes and treated there for a week at zero cost.

In the US I have watched other have misdiagnoses, I have also watched others, and in retrospect, realized that I too have been hoodwinked into paying for unnecessary treatment by doctors looking to make money and happy to poison me to do it.

I have also avoided hospital care in circumstances where I would have immediately sought it from the NHS - showing up to the ER with breathing difficulties and being told a ballpark figure for my admission was $13,000 - most of my life's savings at that point in time - prompted me to gamble my life and wait to see just how how difficult my breathing got.

I've watched Americans sell family homes because of medical bills - something virtually unthinkable in Britain.

Having seen all this, I now conclude there are times when I'd choose the NHS, and times when I'd choose private medical.

Neither system is universally better than the other.

If you're in the US and you balk at free healthcare and cry 'SOCIALISM!', you're a fucking idiot.

If you're in Europe and you balk at private healthcare and cry 'INEQUALITY!', you're a fucking idiot.

If you're lucky, both systems are open to you.