"Watch the Frontline documentary. Other countries consider it a human right that a person get medical care without going bankrupt, without losing their house, without being expected to pay when they cannot pay."

I have to say, Alice, this and the free higher education system were two of the main things that made me think that the UK really had it together when I moved here almost 20 years ago. You look after people's health, and you make sure that everyone is entitled to the best education appropriate to their abilities - what they make of themselves then is up to them.

Of course, it's not nearly that simplistic in practice, and several important fundamental principles have been eroded since i've been here. But that basic human right is one that a LOT of people in the UK really take for granted. You really can't understand how important the NHS is until you've had to live without it.