I was able to have my knee operated on four times with barely anything paid out of pocket. These operations were done by top-notch doctors in well-equipped hospitals. After my operations, I had months (actually, years) of physical therapy completely paid for through France's universal healthcare system. I feel so lucky to have gotten injured in France and not in the United States.

Last September I fell and couldn't get up. The spirit was willing but my femur wasn't, as evidenced by my right foot sticking out at a 90 degree angle from what I presumed to be my leg. Someone called the pompiers, who scooped me up and drove me (at no cost to me) to the nearest hospital. There I had to wait a day while they took more urgent cases (one woman was aborting), but the next they replaced my femur with a titanium rig guaranteed not to set off alarms at airports. I was placed in a private room and a therapist came daily for 10 days to walk me around the halls. Nurses fed me, helped me into and out of bed and spoke French at me, which forced me to speak my appalling French to them. After I was sent home, another therapist came twice a week to coach me in walking again and teach me exercises. Nurses came daily to message my leg and give me pills, probably anti-coagulants. (As a tough-guy American, I declined pain medicine.) The whole episode cost me 14,000 euros. (Had I been French, it would have been free.) In the U.S., it would have cost in excess of $100,000. Recovery was predictably slow. I am only now learning to run, very gingerly and slowly, on absolutely flat paving. I have nothing but praise for the French health car system. I have read that it is ranked the best in the world. Australia's is ranked second, with the American somewhere near the bottom in quality and highest in cost. Wright Salisbury

In Argentina, there are two options: public health care, free for all, and a private option with private insurance companies. The private option is affordable. I am able to own a "Cadillac" plan paying on my own, out of pocket each month, as I work from home as an independent contractor. In 2012, I got pneumonia so serious that I spent five nights in the hospital. I was given a battery of tests: x-rays, Ct scans, blood tests. I was visited by a dietitian who built my hospital meals according to my illness and medications. I was visited daily by a physical therapist who taught me breathing exercises. I was visited by a hematologist daily who monitored my white blood cell count. I was visited by countless nurses and doctors around the clock and given breathing treatments. All of this treatment was included in my private health plan and I had to pay nothing on top of the co-pay I paid for my emergency room visit to be admitted. It's comforting to know that if I get sick I will be taken care of. I work hard and more than a full time schedule, more than 40 hours a week. But in the USA, working from home as a contractor, I wouldn't be given any insurance. I would be looked on as lazy for not getting a "real job" and getting insurance that way. This is unacceptable. There is also public healthcare here that offers comparable service to the private options. The difference is the infrastructure, the private hospitals are more modern, more polished. I've had friends go to public hospitals for surgeries and check ups and are charged nothing. I want to move home to the United States one day. The only thing, the ONLY thing that concerns me is the gamble of health insurance. What if I get into a car accident? What if I get sick? Will I lose everything? I shouldn't be afraid to move home because I may get sick.

Living and having grown up in Canada it has never crossed my mind that I would have to worry about medical costs should I get sick. If I don't feel well I go to the doctor, receive care, end of story. Now, I may have a prescription cost which I do have extended coverage from my employer, but to not have to worry about a cost just to visit the doctor which means I catch things early before they have the chance to become more serious. Yes, there may be longer wait times for some tests or procedures, but if it's an emergency there are no wait times. I am more than happy to wait a bit longer for a non-serious condition test if it means I can rest easy that I will not have to go into financial ruin because of it. Universal health care is the only humane form of health care.

Here in France my parents both received excellent care for their cancers which were detected early thanks to all the help getting free screenings and cheap visits to specialists. I also received great care after a sport injury that required a shoulder operation, from identifying what the issue was with scans to my rehabilitation which cost me pennies with a great physical therapist. I hope the US will implement universal healthcare, it is something everyone needs at some point or another in their life.

I have been living in England for over 17 years (after having grown up in the US for over 25 years, with a father who was a doctor in the States up until about 1989), and have had numerous small treatments through the NHS, for both myself, my husband, and our two children. I have had a couple of minor surgeries for removing suspect moles (including one from my then 10-year old daughter), and have had two wonderful experiences with giving birth in a local NHS hospital (and the amazing after-care/home visits I received from health visitors for up to 6 weeks after giving birth) and haven't had to pay a penny (or pence) for any of our family's treatments, except of course the 20% basic rate tax I pay on my salary. I get free birth-control pills and if there has ever been a charge for a particular prescription I may have needed it has been extremely low (about £9.80 on average), and free for my children, including free ibuprofen (for pain). What this means to us as a family is we don't have to worry about anything like many Americans living in the States seem to, such as "what if I loose my job and I don't have my employer help me with insurance payments" or "what about my pre-existing conditions" or anything like that. The way the healthcare system is set up in England means that all of my family is automatically covered no matter what, and we don't have to worry if one of us suddenly gets ill. I wouldn't say we have never had to wait for appointments or results or such, but the waiting time seems to compare favorably with what I remember from the US system - and of course they prioritize appointments for children or urgent cases here. Overall I have no complaints about the NHS and think it's marvellous! I only wish the US could adopt something similar.

About eight years ago, my husband left his own company and started his own business in London. It was a bit risky with three children still at home and university fees looming, but one thing we did not have to worry about was private health insurance, which would have been crazily expensive for a family of five in the US. We have had great experiences with the NHS. My husband created many new jobs in this company and his next one, and we didn't have to worry about high premiums or deductibles at a time of financial risk. Simply put, the US insurance-based system is terrible for the economy and job growth, as well as people. On the other side of the pond, my sister, who just lost her job, pays hundreds a month for a policy with a $5,000 deductible. She's decided to put off preventive care because she just can't afford it. . #DAresists #Medicare4all

I have lived in the UK for ten years and have been fortunate to be healthy the majority of the time. But the security I feel in knowing that I can see my doctor even for small things (before they become big things) is something that doesn't get mentioned often enough. As a young person that doesn't make a lot of money, I would be in a very different position in the States, and wouldn't be able to address issues with my health until it was an emergency. Nobody should have to be put in that position. I have had the freedom to leave jobs without worrying about losing my benefits and losing access to healthcare, and the impact this has had on my well-being and mental health cannot be overstated. Obviously, there are so many more reasons why universal healthcare is the only system that makes sense!

When I lived in the US, I had to pay a $200 deductible every month when I got my prescription asthma medication refilled. In Canada, the medicine is covered by the public insurance, so I don't need to make the choice to forgo my asthma medications.

Last year, I hit the tropical disease double whammy of dengue and shigella! I'm just lucky to live in a country where 10 hours in a hospital at the specialist unit for tropical diseases, a battery of tests over three days and doctors and nurses calling me at home to check on my status cost me exactly: ZERO. And this year, I tripped and fell while running. The soft neoprene brace I use cut into my skin severely. Stitches, X-ray and antibiotics cost? £8.60 (for the meds). All tolled, including waiting for pharmacy, two hours. Long live the NHS. May the US see the light.

As a teacher in Malaysia, I have experienced their healthcare system. It is the same model we have the USA with both private and government healthcare. However, healthcare is much cheaper and much quicker as doctors from other countries are allowed to practice in Malaysia. I could see a doctor in 5 minutes if I needed it in a non emergency situation. Prescriptions are much cheaper as well. My medication costs 1/5 of the cost in the USA. It just proves that prescription drug companies are trying to gain every cent from Americans. I can be in and out of a doctor's office in 30 minutes with a medication I need for 50rm. Last time in the States, there was a waiting period of 1 month and I was charged 400$ USD for a 30 minute visit and 100$ for the medication. America needs to learn from other nations on how to be more effective with not only the structure of healthcare but how to not let drug companies hike the prices of medications.

My wife passed away in January of this year from ovarian cancer. She was diagnosed 17 years ago so we had 17 years of cancer care along with normal health care. During her last year, as is typical, she consumed a lot of physician & hospital care as well as medicines. Never once in 17 years did I worry about the cost. During all those years I could focus on keeping a positive attitude and helping her keep positive. I believe that positive attitude gained us several additional years together. And during that last , most difficult, year, I could focus on assisting her as her body gave way to the disease. All this, positive thinking and personal assistance during the last year, was made so much easier by not having to worry about cost. KEITH MULLETT and in memory of my wife MYRIAM

I have several non-life threatening pre-existing conditions. They are inconvenient, at times painful, and at times wholly disruptive. They come with risks down the road. When I was in the US for a few years I was silently suffering — even with the ACA, my deductible was significantly higher than the cost of regular specialist checkups and screenings. The cost of my meds was literally prohibitive. Back in France, I am free to get the care I need, even as a freelance writer. I pay into the system and the value I get for my payments transcends any desire to have a market-based "freedom of choice" because I have the quality care and peace of mind that allow the rest of my life to continue normally. That's Real freedom of choice — the choice to have a LIFE. There's a reason people say "If you don't have your health, you don't have anything." Health and the care required to maintain it are fundamental to our existence, and France among many other countries in our world gets it. Moral arguments aside (there's no shortage of those) the US could be so much more if it cared about its human capital as much as its capitalism.

I am a GP in the British NHS. I went to one of the best US medical schools and prepared to work in the US system but then I fell and love and moved across the pond. The best thing about the NHS from my point of view as a physician is that I can be honest with my patients about what they need, what they could have and what I wouldn't do without cost coming into the conversation. The degree of trust they have in me and my profession is the highest of all professions in the country, over priests and rabbis. I treasure that. Yes we don't always have access to the "newest drug" but I have learned that the newest is not the best and sometimes new means untested and actually dangerous. As a patient I the sense of security I have that I don't have to worry about whether my condition is covered or will I go bankrupt from a treatment. Do we have problems, yes but no more than the US. I think it is good that elective surgery can't happen the day of diagnosis. A cooling off period to consider the options is good. I have never had to wait in an emergency and the care I get overall is pretty good. Not perfect but no worse than the stories I have heard from my colleagues and family in the USA.

I get so fed up hearing conservatives in America lament about how terrible national health care is! I have never had to wait for an urgent appointment and can be seen the same day, if needed. I have been hospitalised twice since living in England and both times I have received exemplary care. There are some differences in the style of room. In the US hospitals have become such big business that they tend to look more like spas! Here in the UK the hospitals do not look as glitzy. And I was in a ward, rather than a private room. Truly, it, too, was a wonderful experience as the other ladies were all very supportive of each other. It is amazing to go to the doctor and not have to hand over any money. Yes, our taxes are higher than in the US, but I receive quality health care, consistently and worry-free care to boot.

17 years in the UK and I've had kidney surgery and have suffered a heart attack. For the latter the treatment was immediate, of course, but also the followup care was terrific. For the kidney stone surgery I had to wait four months but I wasn't critical and it was very successful. Since I've turned 60 all of my medications are now free. Great system! #DAresists #Medicare4all

Trip to the ER (or A&E as it's called here) no. 1: New Year's Eve 2012, struck down by the norovirus that was all over the UK that winter. Received excellent care even at my very busy local London hospital. Hospital bill: zero. Trip to the ER no. 2: summer 2013, a visit to my parents in Boston, severe gastroenteritis the day after I arrived. Received so-so care, a lot of unnecessary tests. Hospital bill: $7,000, which I spent the next two years fighting, eventually with the aid of legal representation. Did my excellent care in the London hospital come out of the slightly higher taxes I pay here in the UK? Yes. As do roadworks and other infrastructure improvements, firefighters, policing...I have no problem with this and I have no idea how any rational person, desirous of living in a civilized society, could.

My uncle needed to have both his lungs transplanted. Both he and my aunt are teachers and would not have been able to afford the tremendous cost of this procedure plus a life-time of followup procedures in the US. Fortunately, they live in Canada, where almost everything was completely covered. They paid about $1000 total out of pocket over the course of several years. People often talk about the long waits in Canada, but other than waiting for the lungs themselves (and that wait would have been at least as long in the US), there was never a wait for anything.

Although I only planned on moving to Ireland for a year, I ended up meeting my current husband and am now raising a family here. As incredibly health conscious individuals, we never relied on healthcare other than the occasional broken bone. This changed two years ago when my daughter failed her eye test in junior infants (the equivalent of kindergarten). They discovered she had a rare, spontaneous genetic condition that required almost immediate eye surgery and will mean ongoing cardiac, ophthalmology and orthopaedic treatment her entire life. My husband has worked in teaching for 25 years and has a stable but not high paying job; I worked in the non-profit sector (ironically with blind people). Without universal healthcare, we would have been destroyed emotionally, financially, and spiritually. While healthcare here is far from perfect, it allows our family to live stress free and remain active, healthy citizens who contribute to the well being of society. It is insane Congress would consider anything less than universal healthcare. #DAresists #Medicare4all