[glaberficken]

>"...healthcare is universally free in Portugal..."

In principle only.

In practice: how much have you spent on dentist bills in the past year?

[CraigJPerry]

Child birth. Heart attack. Broken leg. Brain tumour. Flu.

It’s free in practice.

[glaberficken]

Yes, most things are free in practice. Just so happens that something critical for day to day general health and well-being (dental health) is not.

It's not by accident that Portugal has oral health on par with the poorest Eastern European countries.