[sneak]

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[pedrocarvalho]

By free I mean it's not a direct purchase. I'm perfectly aware that the healthcare system in my country is payed by my taxes.

[heyitsnick]

To me (Brit) _free_ in this context is perfectly understood as _free at the point of use_

[TheAmazingIdiot]

Medical care in the European Union (in general) is free. Money is recouped by higher taxation on all people, as if they bought into a country-wide policy.

I think we well understand what is meant by "free". It is usually contrasted by the US system in which emergency care is 'free' if you have no garnishable income or property to take.