[nickpp]

> the vast majority of European countries who have socialized medicine and seem to be doing fine

You do realize that the "vast majority" of European countries doesn't mean highly developed Western Europe, right?

Here in Central and Eastern Europe (where I live) socialized medicine is not "fine". You should visit some hospitals in Bulgaria or Romanian to get a more complete picture. We pay the state outrageous insurance costs every month then go and pay out-of-pocket in private hospitals when we actually need them.

[KingMob]

My point remains that there are plenty of thriving countries with socialized medicine, so socialized medicine _per se_ is not the problem.