[KevinW]

i enjoyed reading your reply, which was interesting and informative, and I'm happy to stand corrected where in error. However, we hear on this state of the pond, rightly or wrongly, stories of hardworking US citizens with insurance cover that then fails to cover them for chronic long term illness, requiring them to sell up to fund end-of-life care. It is the follow-up long term care needed for those chronically ill which represents the greatest cost burden of any healthcare system. Our system isnt perfect, i dont pretend it is.

Then you lost it in the last paragraph, which is, frankly, just insulting.

Have you ever been to England or Scotland (scotland has different healthcare provision to England and Wales) before and seen our system?

I think perhaps you have an issue with the word socialism.
I am not a socialist, btw, and nor is my country, regardless of who occupies No.10 (Brown/Blair/Cameron). That went in the 70s with Jim Callaghan.