Why I Love Britain's Health Care System

US conservatives are doing their best to turn Britain’s National Health Service into a cautionary tale. Author Stephen Amidon was nervous as well when he moved to Britain; how good could free care be? But the birth of his first child taught him to love the system, he writes for Salon. The moment his newborn developed jaundice, senior doctors swept in with the latest technology. “Nobody asked about insurance or co-pays.”

The ward “was the most egalitarian place I had ever seen.” The rich and poor were treated exactly the same. “This, I learned, is what the NHS is about—common decency.” Britons believe they’re part of a society that provides certain necessities to its members, health care included. “Sure, people complained about the NHS. But the British complain about everything. Living without a public health system, on the other hand, was unthinkable.”