[J-dawg]

Point taken, perhaps my final point was overstating things a bit (or underestimating just how awful the healthcare situation is in America).

I think people like me who are lucky enough to be basically healthy can get a skewed view of the NHS, because for routine medical care the 'customer service' is pretty awful.

I've come to believe this slightly mediocre experience is actually necessary to the survival of the NHS. If you could (for example) instantly see a GP and get referred to a physiotherapist every time you got a bit of back pain, the whole system would be inundated with demand. For routine stuff like this, most working people would skip the NHS altogether and go direct to a private physio (or have it covered by their employer's plan).

But it's there for all the important (and expensive) stuff like childbirth and serious illnesses. And for that we are insanely lucky.

I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your wife and son. I hope they're both doing great now.