"...a photograph in the UK Times showing a Medicare treatment area....I think it was Chicago, the area was like a huge warehouse and there were dozens of patients on trollies lying in rows with perhaps two or three health workers walking round...it all seemed very primitive." ake

This is a classic example of misunderstanding each other's countries. There is NO way that this scene would happen with Medicare; it is simply not the way Medicare works.

I don't believe that it would be MedicAID either. Medicaid is "needs-based" but people sign up for it. It is an official plan; it is not a random method.

So, the photo you saw must have have been of a free clinic, as JtS suggested. If that was Chicago, or some other large city, I suppose a "huge warehouse" setting could happen.

A couple of times a year many towns and cities advertise free medical services where medical personnel offer blood pressure checks, AIDS blood work, dental checkups and other stand-alone services. I think the aim is to encourage the populace to follow through on perceived problems. The goal is a healthier society.

Some of the 'patients' are homeless, of course, but many others are simply taking advantage of a quick checkup.

I don't know whether other countries have similar services.