Sounds like the corporate bosses have succeeded in eviscerating the UK health system. The basic approach is to cunningly withdraw funding and increase inefficiency until people get desperate enough to hire expensive privatized medical care. Then you say "Oh, the national health system isn't working anymore. Let's do away with it."

Clever. That has been happening a bit in Canada too, although the national health care system is still pretty strong here.

In the past 2 years my father was dying of liver disease. He eventually passed away in May of this year. The extensive hospital treatment he received during his illness would have completely bankrupted this family, were we living in the USA. As it was, it cost us virtually nothing...so I say thank God for the Canadian socialized health system!!!