The real problem with our health system is that it treats the symptoms rather than the cause of disease.The result is that we have big drug companies directing the philosophy and thus the expensive treatments that shore up their bottom lines.Health care need not be this expensive.
The causes of most of our diseases are life styles and environmental hazards created by us.There needs to be a monumental shift in both philosophy and attitudes if we are ever to be free of the millstone that we have firmly tied to out necks.
Our traditional medical practioners have a lot to learn from oriental medicine and philosophies,if we could only prise them apart from their multi- national intravenous bank balances.

No system is perfect - but on the whole I think we're rather lucky in this country.

I've witnessed my step-father being taken to a public hospital in an emergency - and despite the fact that he had no medical insurance - he
received quite adequate care.

Pensioners are eligible for all sorts of Council provided services to assist their living at home. Medicare covers all doctor's visits. They get free ambulance and emergency cover.

My mother has taken out Private Hospital Insurance - because she wanted the option of a private room - and not having to wait for an
operation. Friends visiting us from Europe - told us how lucky we are in this country with what the Government provides.

As far as Education is concerned - my children started out in private schools, but ended up Matriculating from a Public High School - because they were unhappy at the private school.
Both ended up graduating from University - on their own initiative.
Again, no complaints as far as the system is concerned. The choice was up to us as parents - what school our children were going to attend. We thought "Private" would be the better option. We were wrong.

Bronco’s post is a bit deceptive, he ascribes it to national health and schooling yet only, fleetingly describes a national health service and no school service.

As such it is a bit of a “hoist it up the pole and see if it flies” exercise, rather than something considered and responsible.

Those deficiencies apart, let me describe my experience of the UK national health service in the years prior to 1983 and second hand input form friends still enduring it.

In a couple of word, “it sucks”.

That was my experience of it.

Lethargy abounds. A system where the career paths of hospital porters was more important than the care of patients in ICU.

An abuse of the term “service” which is ignorant of and unresponsive to the consumer needs. Queues for everything. Arrogant service providers at the professional, technical and utility levels, an exorbitant and ineffective tax usage, delivering substandard value.

Anyone who thinks it is the model for anything has rocks in their head and I would recommend a private hospital for their removal, if the alternative is the UK national health.

Schools, I am the product of UK state education system, so it has delivered some value.
(I know, I know, I am setting myself up, I will await the obvious responses to that)

However, people are entitled to spend their own resources in whatever manner they see fit.

It is not the governments’ role to direct or regulate private discretionary spending.

And if people wish to buy private health or private education, it is their right to do so.

But the UK public health service is a case-study in why the monopoly delivery of services does not work.

Dave here there is a place in soceity for both private education & private health if you can afford but it should not decrease the public education & health creating a soceity that is only for the rich
God Bless may your Lord shine on you well
bye Dave

On this there are no variables for me.

"Private education and private health is obscene."

I agree Bronco.

Being old enough to remember when the British NHS did deliver far better health care than here in Australia, I wonder what went wrong with it in the 1980s. Maybe it caught the Maggie Thatcher virus followed by the deadly double infections known as Business Manager and Economic Existentialism (I profit, therefore I am), like much of the rest of British industry, and NZ and Australia. Don't brag about the Australian system; I've had more effective treatment in Vietnam. And the American way of lack of health care is legendary. Cuba has more doctors per head of population than the USA, where about 44 million can't afford health insurance and thus can't get decent health care.