The NHS
I'm British, but don't live in the UK. I'm staunchly on the right when it comes to political views (without the nationalistic/racist tendencies) and I have never used the NHS for a single thing. I have had several operations done in the UK, and all were covered under extensive health insurance.

BUT - I believe that the NHS is one of the finest institutions that the UK has to offer, and that the people of the UK can and should be exceptionally proud of it. I disagree with a lot of what Aneurin Bevan said, but in pushing the Government forward into the creation of the NHS he did a brilliant thing, which revolutionised the standards of care within the UK.

Today we still have free healthcare across the board. Yes - you may have to wait a few months if your operation is not critical, but what would you prefer? A long waiting list, or no chance of being able to get the operation done without putting you or your family critically into debt? Look at the US system. If you're rich, you pay for a Doctor. If you're middle-class you buy insurance. If you're poor you get shafted. If you do not have the money to pay for an operation, even a life-saving one, you are out on your arse. The US criticism of the NHS during their own Obamacare debate was, quite frankly, abhorrent.

The NHS has its faults - as every large Corporate or Government sponsored service provider does, however the overriding fact is that the service that it provides overall is astonishing. Providing free (FREE) healthcare to 60,000,000 people. Simple economics dictates that the NHS should not work (infinite supply should cause infite demand), but the fact is that in the majority of cases it provides life-saving, life-altering and life-long care.
( Hunter Stockton was murdered by a bicycle wielding axolotl,.,.,.,., Fri 2 Mar 2012, 16:06, Reply)