When I first moved to the United States from the United Kingdom in 2013, I was inundated with a long list of American quirks I had to navigate, enjoy, and attempt to understand.
I became convinced that air conditioning was the best invention known to mankind and that portion sizes and free refills made eating out more enjoyable. I was a little confused that you could join the military, drink a beer, or buy a gun before you were allowed to rent a car.
Then came the dreaded American healthcare system, which any foreigner will tell you is just so expensive.
And it is. But that’s not the point.
The first time I went to the emergency room in the U.S. — having sustained an ankle injury by making the colossal error of playing soccer — I was prepared for the same experience I had during my visits to British emergency departments. But just as I had decided which chair I was going to spend the next 12 hours “relaxing” in, I was brought back, examined, X-rayed, booted up, and sent home.
Because yes, the American system is expensive. especially right now. But at least it works.
Unlike those in the U.S. who demand a British-style universal “free” healthcare system, I have actually experienced what that means. If you’re healthy, you are lucky enough to experience only long wait times, substandard service, and limited access. But if you’re unhealthy — especially with a chronic condition — just because the service is free doesn’t mean it’ll arrive on time, if it arrives at all.
A recent news story from the Daily Mail exemplifies this issue: “Woman, 97, was found dead on the floor of her home after being told she would have to wait ten days for an ambulance for a suspected hip break, coroner hears.”
The article reads, “Babette Burge was found on the floor of her home in Newport, Isle of Wight, by a carer on October 19, 2025. Just five days earlier, a paramedic from a local GP surgery had attended Ms Burge’s home to assess her condition and found that her leg was ‘shortened and rotated’ — a sign of a fractured hip. The pensioner was told she would need to wait ten days for an ambulance to St Mary’s Hospital in Newport, but suffered a fall before the transfer could take place. She was found on the floor of her home struggling to breathe by her carer and died shortly before 1pm that day.”
This is the reality of “free” and “universal” care that progressives sell as the solution to our supposedly broken system. Not only is healthcare not “free” — monumental tax rates keep the British National Health Service on constant life support — but it is limited by the fact that it is rationed by the government. And absolutely no accountability is taken when people die on waiting lists, die from malpractice, or die on the floor of their home because an ambulance wasn’t available for 10 days.
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The fact is that the government is not the answer. Indeed, the reason American healthcare is increasingly expensive is that the government has become entrenched in our healthcare system, with every further involvement adding inefficiency, driving up costs, and forcing down quality.
Trust me, I know that the American system has problems, but I’ll pick the expensive system over the “free” system every single time. If an ambulance doesn’t come when I need it, what’s the point?
Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist. You can find his work on Substack.