About 15 years ago an Australian woman told me of an incident at a drug store (chemist). She said she was in line behind an elderly man who presented a prescription to the pharmacist and said, How much?

At the answer he shook his head and took back the prescription. Too much, he said. I can't pay it.

My friend was distraught and irate. How can this be! she asked.

One of the things that I don't understand is why do we think that we have to come up on our own with a formula for national health care? Why do we think we have to re-create the wheel? Why can't we look at other countries' systems and cherry pick the data?