Firstly, just because it's a paid-by-tax system, doesn't mean it's anything alike.

The NHS (the UKs health system) is the worlds largest health system. It's the only health system in the world
that covers all forms of health care: GPs, hospitals, drugs, opticians, dentistry, nursing, post-natal support, ambulance service, back specialists, foot specialists, etc. It's also the worlds third largest employer.

Secondly, The UKs health system is rated 18th best in the world, better than Canada at position 30, and the
US at 37. The best healthcare system in the world is France's, oh... another "socialist" health care system.

Another point to make: In the UK you can also choose your own doctor/GP. And, if you don't want to deal with the waiting lists, or anything like that - you also have the choice to go
private health.

Its great in the UK, healthcare is just something you dont worry about at all. im having an operation done on my toe in a month or so (i broke it and it healed wrong so it rubs on all shoes i wear and gets horrible blisters) and if i was somewhere like the US i would just have to live with the annoyance rather than pay a few thousand to get it fixed.

@Thatmax - did you know that when the NHS was first introduced, it was introduced with the intention of being 100% free, meaning that not even taxes would pay for it. One would assume that they were intending to pay for it through the countries reserves, and money made back in interest from other countries, etc.

And then, when the government decided that it would be too expensive, and started to pay for it through taxes. The man who came up with the NHS got so pissed off that he resigned from the government, and Labour lost the next election as a direct result of it.

How surprising that someone's pipe dream of a free lunch didn't come true!

Interesting story though. 

How the hell did we go from Europe suing Microsoft to an argument about health care?

Sorry, forgot to mention the guys name: Aneurin Bevan, Welsh born (just like Prime Minister David Lloyd George - who introduced National Insurance). Was the health minister.

 Hell knows. It's the internet.

Because Health Care is the first thing that comes to the mind of some Americans when they want to bash Europe for whatever reason?

Sounds good to me. Microsoft had it coming imo.