Question for those in countries with Universal health care.?

Australia has one. People not privately insured pay an extra 2% in tax. Seems good to me. I don't see why there is such a big issue abiut it in the US

Nationalising healthcare was one of the best things ever done in the UK. There is still private healthcare if you are willing and able to pay for it, but you don't get any better treatment than on the NHS, just a few luxuries like your own room, better choice of food and non-urgent treatment when it's convenient for you instead of when the NHS can fit you in. You still pay National Insurance even if you are paying for private insurance as well, it is possible to contract out of NI but ill advisable as this also contributes to your pension, social security if you lose your job, etc. All the staff will be NHS trained who have then elected to work in the private sector. In other words people with the money to be able to are paying for their skills, which other people would get free at the point of delivery in the NHS. Most European countries have a state-run healthcare system including France, which is reputed to have one of the best healthcare systems in the world. Germany has a parallel system where you have the choice of paying into public insurance or private insurance towards the cost of your healthcare. The payments are income-related and the same, and again, the standard of care you get is the same whichever option you choose.

I'm in Canada, and the average family here pays 21% in taxes (including income, land, sales, sin taxes, and others) and the average single person pays 36% in annual taxes. Through our employers, most of us are covered for things that our health care system doesn't cover. The most expensive private benefits that I have seen here have cost the employees around $100 per month for family coverage. At the place where I am working right now, our insurance covers life, LTD, AD&D, dental, vision care, travel insurance, therapy (massages, chiropractor etc) and counselling, prescriptions...basically anything that you could be charged for if you ended up needing to use them. My husband and I opted for the top level of benefits coverage, and pay around $30 a pay cheque for us and our daughter. In Canada, we have more of a blend of private and public than places like England, but less private involvement than places like France. When we go to, say, a dentist, many will direct bill so that the only time you pay out of pocket is if you don't have 100% coverage from your insurance provider. As for the quality of health care, my only complaint is that if you need a treatment that is considered non-essential, there are wait lists. This is because those who have serious conditions are pushed to the top of the list. So, if, for example, someone had a cyst in their brain that was considered non life-threatening, s/he would be waiting for treatment while someone who had a malignant tumour or some other condition that required immediate surgery would be treated immediately. We really have a lack of specialists in our country. However, this is my only complaint. Any time I have needed treatment or surgery, I have received top notch treatment without a wait. There are a lot of myths that are perpetuated about Canada's health care system by the right wing private supporters in the US that simply aren't true. In reality, I honestly believe that our system is better, because it covers 100% of Canadian citizens. If I have to wait for a treatment because someone else is going to die, I really don't mind. I also am all right with supporting those in our country who are impoverished if it means that the overall country is better because of it. I know that if I needed help, someone would be there for me as well.

As a Brit living in the US I think the health care insurance system is really scary, the horror stories I hear from people I know are beyond belief, I work for myself and my wife works for a big corporation and gets low cost insurance, many other self employed people I know have no insurance and when I asked them what do you do if you get sick, they shrug their shoulders and say ''we just have to tough it out and hope for the best!'' I find it difficult to make people understand about the NHS in Britain, because they have it seems been totally brainwashed by the lies and scare mongering tactics by the insurance companies and right wing politicians, I keep saying to them that no one in the UK would want this in-human system in a million years, but Americans defend it like some kind of national pride, its really crazy! This is a really great country and it has the potential to be even better and show the rest of the world that it can and is brave enough to turn this thing on its head, the priority should be the well being of ALL of its citizens not just those who can afford it!