If socialized medicine is working in Europe, good on ya! All I know is that in Canada (where I grew up), it's created a situation where people actually die (kick the bucket, perish, cease to exist) waiting to get the appropriate care. Waiting lists for some services are weeks, even months long.

Sure, in Canada, as a patient you never see the kinds of bills you can see here in the US...but I don't know how comforting that is as you lie on your deathbed waiting for the doctor to return your call. (Those nasty, huge bills are still generated, but they get sent to the government, not to the patient. Many Canadians have no idea how unsettling some of those numbers can be, even if you have insurance.)

Many Canadians are also under the mistaken impression that if you need medical attention in the US and cannot pay for it, you are turned away. My wife, a nurse here in Illinois, assures me that it doesn't work that way...agencies will step in and make sure people get the care they need.