My parents live in the UK. Last year my mother had a quadruple heart bypass. It didn't cost her a penny. The medications she has to take for life don't cost her a penny either as she is retired, so gets free prescriptions.

Sure she didn't get a private room with her own TV......

I will point out that my parents paid into the national insurance when they were working as all working people do. But every man woman and child is covered. There is no co pay for seeing a doctor or any procedure.

Out of work due to illness, disability or laid off ?...you have full healthcare (and free prescriptions).

Those between 18 and retirement age who are working and not claiming benefits do have to pay for prescriptions, which are charged at a fixed rate (about $15). So if you work you have to pay the co pay, but your children's or stay at home wife's prescriptions are free. Also if the pharmacist can sell the prescribed drug over the counter for cheaper than the prescription fee, he is legally obliged to.

It has it's problems, waiting times for procedures depend on need, urgent cases go first and pretty timely. Someone in their 80's will be low on the list for a hip replacement, but then someone here in their 80's without insurance will not be on a list at all.

I've posted in the past about how I feel good about being Canadian because I don't have to worry about an illness bankrupting my family.

I just want to point out another thing about our system. Seniors generally pay a very small co-payment for prescriptions and for those whose income is relatively low there is a source in Ontario (Trillium foundation I believe which I think receives money from lotteries) which will assist these individuals in paying for their prescriptions.

It's clear that the lobbyists in the US are preventing the US from having such a system because, apart from these greedy bastards wanting to make insane profits, there is no logical explanation for why a supposed super power would allow so many of its citizens to be ruined by illness.

I have to say I'm very disappointed watching how weak the democrats appear to be with respect to this issue. If they want it just force it through. I believe they have the numbers. Plain and simple. I'm sure that every citizen in your country would re-elect the politicians who forced it through. Screw the goddam lobbyist scum! In a recent Canadian program (The Gretaest Canadian) the chosen winner was Tommy Douglas, the man who brought about our system.

To vote against health care for all Americans.
Here is a list of elected people taking payoffs to cheat the American people and the amounts of bribes being taken. This is just from health care and insurance.
It is mind boggling to think how much these people are taking from others!
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $4,026,933)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $2,833,731)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $2,758,468)

And when you just go right to Big Insurance, the non-presidential candidates who got the biggest legalized bribes were the 7 senators who have been tasked with the job of killing single-payer:

Ben Nelson (DLC-NE- $1,196,799)
Max Baucus (DLC- MT- $1,184,113)
Joe Lieberman (DLC- CT- $1,036,302)
Arlen Specter (R-D- PA- $1,035,530)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY- $981,400)
Mitch McConnell (R-KY- $929,207)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA- $884,724)

We need to investigate and prosecute these criminals now. Severe jail terms are in order for these criminals!

republicanism is a mental illness!