I’m an American, American-trained, and I’ve worked in the NHS.
To talk about a nationalized health system in this country modelled on the NHS is apples and oranges.
The Brits place a very high value on universal access free of cost at the point of access. It’s VERY important to them. To achieve it, the hospitals and surgeries (private offices) were seized by the Crown in 1948 after an election in which the Commons majority promised to do exactly that.
They also realized that, to have this, there had to be a budget and that with unlimited demand and finite resources, some people would not be treated or would not receive the latest technology, drugs, or surgery.
The people in this country do not place a high value on these things. So, we have made other choices, one of which was to borrow $20 trillion dollars and to print many more so that everyone could have everything.
Thanks for that explanation.
So how has that worked out for the Brits in your opinion?