Sorry, it was quite a long post and I wanted to spare everyone the length. While the UK's system has pros and cons, one of the big things that most Americans probably wouldn't stand for is the "greater good" concept. I've heard that after a certain age, if you get sick in the UK, you're pretty much SOL. Have lung cancer? You're sent home. Diabetes? I'm not sure about that one. But the UK's system won't "waste" money on a person that's reached a certain age, with certain diseases. Also, you failed entirely to mention that people carry supplemental insurance. I'm not sure how that works, but it seems that it allows you more than just the basic service; feel free to correct me.

That's a big part (not the only part) of where the US is different. The elderly in the US make up something like 25% of the health care costs, and 8% of the patient population. Yeah, it's disproportionate, but they tend to have long, chronic diseases. Medicine can't cure lots of them, but it can give a fairly decent quality of life for many.

Another problem in the US is that Americans demand everything "the best" in care. "Fix Grandma! Do CPR!! It works on Baywatch! If you can't bring her back we'll sue!" So drug companies research big-name diseases as well as make equipment and tests. But the problem is, lots of people and insurance companies don't pay what they're charged, which leads me to.....

What other profession in the world gives out a service, but can do little if it isn't paid?

Can you imagine picking up your dog from the vet, or your car from the shop, and saying "I'll just pay $10, cuz that's all I can afford." YEAH RIGHT!!! Your car will be sold to pay your bills, and you won't get any of the money left over. Not so with medicine.

That's a BIG reason why prices are so high in the US. You charge Mr. Smith $100 for an aspirin, because Mrs. Jones, Mr. Cleaver, and Miss Harriet all skipped out on their bills (for everything, not just their aspirin dose). Medicaid and Medicare don't pay anywhere near what the office charge is. That's why so many hospitals have closed down, and why many hospitals are operating only with state and federal funding. The system as it is in the US needs change. Some physicians are starting to become "cash only" services, like they were before the mid-1900s brought about insurance companies.

I'll get off my soapbox. Who's next in line?