Yay, Belgium!

That's funny. Except for the part about people coming from all over the EU and compulsory health insurance, you've described conditions as I experience them in Wisconsin.

Plus we have some pretty darn good beer.

Your scenario just doesn't hang together.

It's true for a broad range of goods and services - people don't value what they get for free. Healthcare isn't magical - it's just another good and service.

I could go on. It's easy to rag on the quality of socialized medicine when you've never experienced it first hand, and you only make casual use of the medical system in the United States. Talk to anyone who's had to manage a chronic medical condition out of their own pocket.

Since we're attempting policy by anecdote ..

Two weeks ago my wife had a heart attack. Drover her to the E.R., a ten minute drive. She was admitted and rushed into a bay, given the initial treatment. When they determined that she was, by golly, really having a heart attack they bundled her into an ambulance for a mile ride up the road to where the cardiac surgeon was, at the Catholic hospital.

We got to the ER at 4:30. By 5:15 she was in surgery, out by 7:00 and in ICU. She came home four days later. Care was consistently good and she's got one of the best cardio docs in the state - a guy who immigrated here from Syria.

We're covered by insurance of course - who in the world pays 'out of pocket' when they have health problems? I looked into self-insurance a few years ago and .. it was available. Some people do but how many? How much of a percentage is that? How many people choose to not cover themselves?

Do we have a health problem in this country? Perhaps - perhaps part of the problem is where you choose to live. Move to the upper Midwest - our emergency rooms are not crowded, our docs are good and attracted here by the quality of life and low cost of living. We get some good ones out here.

B. Dunbar