Its all about money. the medicaid restrictions are so strict, i cannot help but believe the medical services do suffer. medicaid covers such a vast majority of people, rather than in the private doctors world, that the service must suffer.

I can't speak for the state of play in america. I think the National Health Service in Britain is a double edged sword. On one hand it deals fantastically with its workload, offering amazing value for money. We pay through our national insurance, a fraction of our wages, or if you are unable to work nothing at all is paid. There are targets to mimimise waiting lists and while not all drugs and treatments are available, on the whole the majority of people are taken care of. The difference between private and NHS is a more cosmetic thing mostly. Obviously the drugs that are not available on the NHS are mostly available privately, although it does depend on your policy (some, for instance, don't cover drug or alcohol dependancy). Aesthetically private hospitals are more pleasing, although I visted one today which was pretty damn average. The biggest difference in my experience is the attitudes of many of the consultants. I had an interesting experience. I had an accident and suffered post traumatic stress. I was analysed for the court case privately and the psychiatrist was so nice, so sweet. Three months later I was referred to the same guy by my General Practitioner, through the NHS. This same man was late, rude, dismissive and didn't even attempt to engage in a constructive relationship with me, his client; the client who 12 weeks earlier he had happily shared coffee with and discussed the state of the countries road system with. It was such a double standard that it left a bad taste in my mouth. I've since heard similar anecdotes. I'm glad to say my own GP is amongst the best doctors and communicators I've ever met and I only pay him a pittance in real terms.