Bingowings said:
Much of the equipment in general use in America (medical and otherwise) was developed by and largely for other countries.
The reflecting telescope, the toothbrush, the tin can, the lawn mower, the telephone, the light bulb, the jet engine, the computer, television, the interwebz.
None of these were original American inventions, the fact that India and China now make most medical equipment and north Europe invents most medicines does somewhat undermine your controversial assertion that the NHS is somehow subsidised by America.
I wish we did make all of our medical equipment and had labs breaking the patents on privately patented medicine. Sadly our politician problem is down to greedy gits thinking they can make a quick buck privatising a national asset.
As for cosmetic surgery and the like, these aren't generally available on the NHS either. People are more likely to save and pay for a Moob job than instigate an insurance policy for essential work, especially with the recent history of corruption scandals in the financial service industry.
Preventing disease and injury are as vital a national service as preventing an invasion from a foreign enemy or a civil war. You can't leave vital services to market forces. If you could we would privatise the military and Government.
A greatly disproportionate share is originally developed in the US. But I'm really not focused on where an item is developed or which corporate logo is stamped on it. I'm looking at the MOST PROFOUND EFFECTS that are created by the MULTI-TRILLION DOLLAR US market. All the good stuff is being developed with the knowledge that the US will bear a greatly disproportionate share of the costs and the other state health care systems can swoop in and bulk-purchase at tremendous discounts. The greater individual responsibility and flexibility leads to much greater innovations with quicker applications. The LASIK and plastic surgery procedures are the outstanding examples of this.
What you call a "greedy git", I call an entreprenuer who wants bring much better goods and services to the people more quickly and less expensively (if he isn't expecting government "help".) The "greed" of such people is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING compared the lust for ever increasing, life and death POWER over the masses that the "incremental" TOTALITARIAN lefties will inevitably pursue.
BTW, where's the love for the financial sector peeps? My understanding is that the London area financial sector is the only thing keeping the NHS and, indeed, the ENTIRE economy afloat. If you're going to rely on the NHS for your survival, I strongly suggest that you go to London, find a "finance git", and passionately kiss his toes (being that it's Britain, he'd probably get into that kinda thing;)
Food production is FAR more immediately essential to survival than health care. All of human history teaches us about what a wonderful idea it would be to have the government totally manage that.