We Know You're Dying Sir, But Can We See Your Wallet First?

So, I was having a heated ‘debate’ with the Tall Guy about our National Health Service (NHS). My argument was that us Britons don’t know how lucky we are, that anybody who desperately needs to be treated will be treated first, and questions asked later.
Not like the American system, where they virtually check your wallet before they determine, whether they’ll let you live or not.

He argued that, at least Americans don’t pay the same rate of income tax as we do in order to support the ball and chain that the NHS has become. He also argued that waiting lists grow longer every year here for vital organ operations.

He has a point, as do most of the other Britons who use the same argument, but as far as I’m concerned, there’s a certain security in knowing that if the love of my life was rushed to hospital with a life-threatening injury, the medical staff at any of our hospitals would do everything they could, to make sure they could save him first, rather than checking to see if he had adequate health insurance.

The US do lots of things better than us Brits, but I’m afraid that looking after their people aint one of ‘em.

*Cough* Katrina anybody? *cough, cough*