I first came to Mexico in 1959 for a six week art course at the Institute Allende in San Miguel--and here I still am. I was out of Mexico for seven years once living and wo

Thank goodness for the NHS - this is something that my husband and I, and our friends and colleagues, say all the time. Not only are our preventative and day-to-day medical needs meet with a minimum of expense and bureaucracy, but we do not have to worry about what would happen if one of us had an accident or developed a serious illness. A few years ago my husband had a life-threatening asthma attack and needed to go to the emergency room in an ambulance. Thanks to the NHS his life was saved and the only expense we faced was the cab fare back home when he was discharged before the Tube started running. I have had broken bones and athletic injuries that I didn't have to worry about causing permanent disability, and friends have recovered from cancer and other dangerous illnesses without going broke. All because we had prompt and affordable treatment on the NHS. Universal healthcare works - it's good for individuals, families, businesses, and the economy.

I support universal healthcare because it saves lives. Living in England and enjoying the ability to receive healthcare when it is needed, has shown me the importance of providing help without the need to go into debt; help when it is needed rather than when it can be afforded. When I was living in the US and found myself in extreme pain from appendicitis, I went into the hospital and was operated on as a welfare case because I had no insurance. After the surgery I could no longer work during my period of recovery, which left in on the verge of homelessness. Without health insurance we are susceptible to financial ruin, which takes us out of the workplace and into poverty. Additionally, many people with health insurance find themselves in the same position if they have a catastrophic illness or accident. Proper healthcare can be the difference between working and not working, early diagnosis of illness and spiralling debt. Universal healthcare saves lives.

Dear Democrats Abroad, I'll gladly tell you what it means to have The National Health Service, free for all and a small charge for non EU"s. First, it's a load off your mind, phew. Secondly, although the buildings may not look swish, although some do, there is nothing you can't be treated for. I have had a heart valve replacement, and also Non Hogkins Lymphoma, needing surgery and radiotherapy. I paid not a penny and had excellent treatment throughout. The NHS is the Britain's finest achievement. The measure of a county's greatness is not in the size of it's armies and weapons, but in it's education of children, and it's care of the sick and elderly. I so hate ithe idea that many Americans just don't 'get' this. Shirlee Matthews

One day when I was riding my bike, my left hip sublaxed. I didn't think much of it the second and third time. It came to a point where I could barely walk without excrusiating pain. At 26 years old I didn't think this was normal. After a trip to my GP I was diagnosed with hip dysplasia. There was a local doctor who was a specialist in treatment and we scheduled a surgery for 4 months later. After a 8 day stay in the hosptial I only had a bill of 350 euros. I live in Belgium and was suggested to take out a hospital insurance for 150 euros per year on top of my 75 euros a year universal healthcare. This covered my entire stay and the rehibilitation for 3 months. If I had been in the US it would have cost me around $500,000 without insurance. Now I can bike pain free and live my life. I don't know what I would have done without the Universal healthcare. And the sad thing is that since I was born with the defect, I would have been rejected the surgery as a pre-existing condition. Please Congress help everyday people get the care they need and deserve. By providing healthcare in a system that keeps costs in check we can manage it. You never know what the next day will bring and what your needs will be even in the short term.

Health care is important in all countries of the world and not just in the United States and he shows human Governments towards their people and not only that but the State reduce health care disbursements and reduce chronic diseases and thinking people advises health programmes and will cost less and have to be Everybody can get it for free and there are a lot of programs you can use to live healthy and healthy food and I support health care because I can't stand seeing anyone lying on bed and cannot enjoy this beautiful life and man deserves to be used in the service of peoples development

These Australian health care photos demonstrate that a Universal Healthcare system can effectively coexist alongside of capitalism. South Australia Health has brilliantly partnered with David Jones department store at Adelaide's Rundle Mall, for a space to provide free screening mammograms to all woman--even me as an American citizen residing in this great country. All woman to access the BreastScreen SA clinic had to pass through David Jones's shoe and lingerie department. I am sure products were purchased. A brilliant synergestic example of Universal Healthcare and Capitalism for a mutual financial benefit. Not to mention the ease, and reduction in fear for women to slip into pleasant store rather than an intimidating clinic for a mammogram. This also, provides for an increase in early detection as women more likely will get the recommended mammogram when either shopping or even better yet for some women, an opportunity to meet a friend at a nearby cozy cafe. I loved my mammogram experience and hope to share this partership opportunity back in the United States.

My name is Kate Seley and I was married to a Spanish national who passed away on January 20 2017 - doubly horrible day for me. I have lived in Spain for over 40 years and have 3 adult children who I gave birth to here with the national health care system with a minimum of pain and maximum of joy and supportive care. I want to clarify that in European countries with a National Health Care Service, it is NOT considered "socialized medicine". Conservative PM's or presidents, i.e., Cameron in the UK, Sarkozy in France and Rajoy here in Spain have never thought of repealing and replacing. They may increase copayments a bit as they're more austerity- oriented but that's it. It's too popular and they don't see it as it socialism! The GOP seems unique. To return to my family's and my own experience: In this long period we have all been in national health care hospital, my daughter for a bad case of salmonella over 20 years ago and my younger son for a complicated broken wrist and leg.. I myself have undergone a lumpectomy and a titanium bar implant to repair broken humerus, both with with totally satisfactory results. But perhaps the most dramatic case is my husband's. He eventually passed away but he had 4 different types types of cancer -prostate, bone colon and throat as well as chronic congestive heart failure. They managed to defeat the odds and keep him alive almost 4 years, during which he received excellent and sensitive supporting care. Sometimes, during the final year, I used to think that he preferred staying at the public health hospital to being at home cause he felt more secure there. There are no limited visiting hours anda loved one can sleep there in an armchair that opens up into a bed, rather like 1st class airlines seats.. On some floors, you could actually feel positive vibes.. The cancer facilities and especially the Coronary intensive care unit are very state of the art. The Gps in the local clinics or "ambulatorios" are in general competent and caring and medication has only a relatively small copay.

My sick baby had an emergency medical team at my door at midnight on a Saturday within 15 minutes of calling them. There was no charge. When I broke my leg in a tube accident, entirely of my own making, I had an EMT crew collect me, take me to the hospital, surgery and a hospital stay all at no direct cost to me. I am delighted to pay my taxes to support that kind of access for all. Occasional waiting lists for certain non-urgent conditions and some restrictions on available drugs due to cost are a small price to pay. Healthcare to GDP in the UK is half of what it is in the US with lower infant mortality and higher average life expectancy. They must be doing something right. Keep up the good work! Barbara

I am a US citizen living in Canada for about 35 years. For the most part, the health care system here works well. We receive universal health care and can use our own family doctor or go to community clinic as the need arises to receive free health care. I have not found it difficult to get my own family doctor. But some individuals need to spend more time. Emergency care is always available. I personally had surgery done here successfully. My wife had a series of tests that needed to be done as ordered from her doctor and were done on time, We pay higher taxes here in Canada but that is really the price paid for universal health care - it It is also a more humane and evolved way of living! Many other countries are able to accomplish this - I hope a more united congress with participation from democrats can accomplish this. Regards, James Sofia

My health care story is simple. We came to Israel in 2011, before there was an ACA, because after his retirement from the USPO, my husband no longer had health care. He was covered under Medicare, but I wasn't, and we just could not afford health care insurance as well as the medicines I needed for my COPD and other illnesses. We moved to Israel, and it's a country where I just don't fit in, but going home isn't possible. My husband has advanced Parkinson's Disease, so we're stuck in a country I hate.

In 2014 I had to have back surgery to remove a severely herniated disc. Leading up to the surgery I had an X-ray, two MRIs, two non-effective cortisone injections and ultimately a referral to the top spinal surgeon in Paris. I had to stop working because I could not stand, lay, walk or sit in comfort. I was given many medications over the period leading up to eventually necessary surgery. In France, this type of surgery requires multiple nights in the hospital. I checked in on Friday afternoon for my surgery later that day. I checked out Monday afternoon after the surgeon and the orthopedist had both performed further examinations and made sure I could walk properly. After 6 more weeks off of work, I went back to my job having continued to earn 70% full salary over the 3 months off of work. I can't even imagine having had my surgery in the US. I paid a total of €150 out of pocket for doctors visits, medications, treatment and diagnosis leading up to and including back surgery and a three night stay in the hospital. And that 150 was to pay for my mom to have a bed in my room and three meals a day with me. In the US I'd be bankrupt. It's a government's duty to protect its citizens. It should not be the party responsible for doing its citizens harm.

My grandson, who is now 11 years old and living in Montreal, was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 1 year old. This particular tumor does not metastasize, but it is life-threatening because as it grows in the brain it destroys other brain tissue. Especially in a child’s brain, it can be quite damaging. My grandson has been in active treatment for about six of his eleven years and under observation and monitoring for four years. Active treatment has included several kinds of chemotherapy and a 12-hour surgery to reduce the size of the tumor. Monitoring includes weekly appointments at the pediatric hospital for assessments including regular MRIs to track the tumor’s size, checks on his physical and cognitive development to assess the impact of the tumor on his brain, nutritional consultation given the impact of the chemotherapy on his appetite, etc. He has therefore had regular treatment by a large team of pediatric specialists. Total cost to his parents: nothing. Both his parents are musicians and could not have afforded private insurance that would have paid for this treatment. Throughout this, and except for the regular hospital visits, he has led a normal life. He is a charming and active young person with a very positive outlook on life, even though the tumor has affected his vision and his physical coordination. Early in this process, we checked with some medical contacts at major hospitals in the United States. They confirmed that the treatment he was receiving was exactly the same as he would have had at the best hospitals in the United States. In short, the Canadian health care system has provided excellent care over a long period at no direct cost his parents, in a case where he would have died long ago without treatment. I don’t know how much this would have cost in the US if the parents had paid directly, but I can’t imagine it would have been less than a million dollars.

Hi, there. I just thought I would offer my experience using the Universal Healthcare system in Canada. At about the time I moved to Canada, I was diagnosed with Mixed Connective Tissue Disorder (MCTD)---while still living in Atlanta., Georgia I remember anxiously waiting while the insurance company approved the tests my doctor said I required as well as the medications to relieve my pain. When I moved to Canada, I had not signed up for the Medical Services Plan (MSP) ($!08/month for my entire family), so I had to get some meds and tests and pay out of pocket. I was stunned at how much less the same treatments costs in Canada! After signing on to the MSP, all of my healthcare needs are covered, with the exception of prescriptions--although there is a Pharmacare system that adjusts the cost of prescriptions according to your income. I have been in Canada now for 15 years and love how my doctor can order a test and it is done. I don't have to wait for procedures, with the exception of surgeries. The surgery wait times are always being addressed and improved. The queue is organized in a triage-like fashion. If I have a life threatening situation, I am in surgery immediately and others are bumped. I don't mind being bumped because the other person is helped and the system is providing high-quality care in a timely fashion, based on patient need. As I understand it, many physicians left Canada when the country first changed to universal healthcare amid cries of Canada becoming a socialist or communist state....the usual epithets hurled when folks get nervous about a change. I can honestly tell you that I wouldn't want any other kind of healthcare and, returning to the US would make me quite nervous in terms of what would be covered and approved by folks sitting at a computer with a checklist rather than the doctor who knows my personal situation. My MCTD morphed into Rheumatoid Arthritis, as it often can. It is a very serious condition that requires close monitoring, which I get from a specialist, just as I would in America--only I am referred and it happens....No one can tell me I can't have a procedure done. My doctors and I are in charge of my healthcare decisions, not profit-making businesses. With this focus on healthcare, I find that my doctors give me extraordinary amounts of consultation time. Patients get 15 minutes with a doctor here. FIFTEEN MINUTES! I was lucky to even see the doctor in the States and if I did, it would only be for about 3 minutes. Please don't believe the fear-mongering of folks that stand to profit from continuing the American healthcare system the way it has been done. Singe-payer is the way to go. Cheers, Jack Dr. J. Lucius Edwards Victoria Conservatory of Music

Aside from the usual and thankfully banal problems of bearing and raising three children, I can report on fairly major issues. NB: I also have a “mutuelle”—a collective non-profit complementary health arrangement that costs approx. €2000 a year and covers the 30% French social security doesn’t pay in some cases. Except in the last, worst item below I don’t remember which paid what. --A hard fall on cement the night before I was supposed to lecture in Oxford resulted in a hip replacement and hospitalisation for almost two weeks [Radcliffe Hospital] plus special transport arrangements home to Paris. French social security and probably the mutuelle reimbursed costs to the Brits. --Three fractured vertebrae and three “vertebroplasties” in which they inject resin cement: cost zero --Worst: in late 1999 my husband was diagnosed with a fairly rare form of cancer : He died a year and a half later after two operations, one very long and risky, intensive care, a whole variety of convalescent measures at home or in hospital, daily nursing visits when at home and, a particular blessing in the circumstances, he was able to spend the last two weeks of his life surrounded by his family at home, in a hospital bed with perfusion and three times daily visits from a nurse as well as regular ones from our family doctor. He could self-administer doses of morphine as needed and we were all with him when he died. Cost for us: Zero, entirely paid by French social security since he had a recognised “serious illness”. I sometimes tell this story now in talks to encourage the French and other Europeans to fight for all our public services, explaining to them we would have had to sell the house if we had lived in the United States. Since I have mentioned giving talks, it may be worth adding that after Smith College junior year abroad where I met and later married my French husband and living in France, I was able to win two higher degrees, a “licence” in philosophy, equivalent to a US master’s degree and allowing Immediate entry to the doctorate. Ten years later I got my PhD with honours in political science from the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences sociales, a quite prestigious part of the French university graduate schools system. Cost—about $150/year in today’s dollars for inscription and insurance fees. Comment: Totally impossible for me cost-wise had I lived in the US. With 17 books and innumerable talks, articles and interviews for various social / ecological/ political causes since, mostly without fee, I feel I have “given back”, as Americans like to say. Note: My four grandchildren have now graduated from a variety of excellent, highly recognised schools [except for some at masters’ level with modest tuition fees] in several disciplines and—barring global warming disaster—are set for life. Long live Bernie Sanders!

When I lived in America, I had been relatively healthy and luckily never had any major medical issues. I have now been in the UK for over 11 years. Two years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, thankfully caught early enough by mammogram and I was diagnosed as curable. The treatment, care and support I received from the NHS during this difficult time has been absolutely incredible. I was offered everything I needed - surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and Herceptin injections (for a full year) and I also made good use of the cancer support center at the hospital and still do. They offer everything from a comfortable place to chat and have tea, to counselling and complimentary therapies for both me and my husband, all free of charge. I even received a medical card which enables me to get any and all prescriptions I need free of charge for a good many years. When I went for my call-back mammogram before I was diagnosed, I was taken to a room and asked about my status in the UK. I told them I was not only married to a Brit, but that I also became British (dual citizen) in 2011. Out of curiosity, I asked just how much it would be if I had to pay for this mammogram and they said that alone would have cost around £350. I can't imagine what the total bill would have been if I'd had to pay for all of my treatment! I am still getting support and check ups and I have not had to pay a single penny for anything. Although my cancer diagnosis came as a complete shock, I am so very grateful that I got ill here in the UK and not in the US as I would not have been able to cope with the huge cost a cancer diagnosis can incur.

Post-Obamacare, my $225/mo health insurance offered my branded birth control at $20/3-month supply, but it was always listed on my bill as a retail price of $350/3-month supply (without insurance). Great value, right? After marrying and moving to the UK, I went to the NHS to request birth control. I asked for the prescription I'd been using in the US on my health insurance. The NHS told me that this brand was not offered by the NHS in England as it is too price prohibitive on their system. Instead, they offered me other free options. To carry me over as I weighed my decision, I was told I could go direct to a local high street pharmacy and buy my desired product out-right without a prescription that day. I did that. The over-the-counter cost of this "expensive" product in the UK — without prescription or insurance? £40/3-month supply (roughly $52). Americans are being cheated with prescription drug prices, whether they pay for them out-of-pocket or through their high insurance premiums. If you imagine that £13.33/mo is too much to spend per UK patient on birth control, then the UK population is receiving the same pharmaceuticals being distributed in the US — but at a seriously lower cost. The US could be getting the same deal if we demanded regulation on extortionate profit margins.

I've lived in Trinidad & Tobago since 1972. Health care is completely government-funded,including ambulance service, hospital care, and the neighbourhood health offices. This is paid for by tax-payers. In 1976 I had my appendix taken out at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital. No cost to me. In 1981 my daughter was born at a government-run maternity hospital. No cost. Beginning in 2010 and continuing until right now, I have had many hospital stays due to heart and lung problems. Most of these began with an ambulance ride to the hospital. I did not have to pay anything. For more routine, non-emergency health care, I attend a clinic at my neighbourhood health office. Both my husband and I attend twice per year for general check ups of our blood pressure, and any other problems that might arise. Blood work is done every year. Appropriate medication is prescribed. Trinidad & Tobago has health offices scattered throughout the country. They run various clinics on different days of the week. There is a Child Welfare clinic that keeps track of children's growth and ensures that they receive their inoculations. There are birth control services. Although tax payers foot the bill, no one is turned away. The poorest of the poor can be seen by a doctor. This system was set up by the British in colonial times and has been continued. The down side: Trinidad is a "developing country" which means that there are not enough doctors, especially specialists. Often, there are drug shortages. My prescriptions cost nothing to fill at government hospital or health office pharmacies but sometimes I have to purchase them at privately-run pharmacies due to shortages in the public system. The waiting time for attention can be very long. Needed equipment might be broken, not working. There is a parallel, very high priced, private medical system in place, very much like what happens in the US. Some doctors have a conflict of interest. Still, having said all this, what is so hard about setting up health care in the US? The infrastructure is already there; so many hospitals and medical offices. Imagine, a little third world country like Trinidad has health care for all but it's a huge problem in the US! I suspect that more developed countries like Canada and Australia would probably be better examples of successful public health care. As retired people, both my husband and I are grateful for Trinidad's public health care system, even with all it's faults and shortcomings. Yes, America needs to learn that health is an expense, not a profit-making endevour. The doctors and insurance companies in the US need to pack up the greed and realize that the population needs and deserves health care. If nothing else, at least the work force would be healthier. I hope this has shed some light on the subject. I also hope that health-care-for-all becomes a reality in America. Regards, Janice Seaton

As an American woman who went through pregnancy and gave birth in Spain, I was impressed by the comprehensive, professional, and free healthcare that I was given every step along the way. The Spanish healthcare systems covers the following for all pregnant women: prenatal check-ups, sonograms, prenatal classes, birth, breastfeeding consultancy, and postnatal check-ups. In my second trimester, an ultrasound revealed that my daughter has renal pelvis dilation, a relatively common condition which usually resolves itself in time but requires periodic check-ups. All pediatric care, including her ultrasounds are covered through the Spanish healthcare system. During one of her recent ultrasounds, the technician discovered a cyst on her intestines which requires removal. We are sad that our small baby will need surgery when she turns one, but if it weren't for universal healthcare which would deem the surgery cost-free, our troubles would be further exacerbated by the stress of financial burden, not to mention that if it weren't for such thorough pediatric care, we wouldn't even have had found that cyst to begin with until it becomes a bigger problem. All children deserve the best possible care their society can provide, regardless of their parents' socioeconomic status. I cannot think of any reason that anyone who is pro-family or believes in traditional values would disagree with that.

Last year in Iceland, we welcomed our first children, a beautiful baby boy. We arrived at the hospital with the birth plan of having a natural birth, but open to invention if we should need it. Everything was going well, but about 8 hours after we arrived, I had stopped dialating and labor has moved to a glacial pace. In order to try and get things going again, my water was broken and I was given an IV to help things moving. By this point, the pain was becoming very difficult and, with no near end in sight, I got an epidural. It was also during this time that I started becoming very cold and shivering, so I was given a second IV with antibiotics. Soon followed a catheter and constant surveillance by obstetricians, nurses, and midwives, as my baby's heartbeat was also taking unexplainable dips for no apparent reason. After the dilation had stopped completely, the obstetrician was monitoring his wellbeing and found that he was becoming distressed. I was then prepared for an emergency C-section and after 20 minutes, I finally had my beautiful baby boy in my arms. The day after his birth, while recovering from my C-section, the pediatric doctor took my baby to the NICU, as he was breathing way too fast and wasn't eating that well. It was discovered that he had water in his lungs, and while it would go away on his own most likely, he needed a feeding tube while it resolved itself and we had an extra 3 day stay in the hospital. Four days after we arrived at the hospital, my husband, my son and I were finally ready to go home, but we had to settle our bill first. I didn't know what to expect, but then we found out it was $35 - $35!! And that is only because my husband stayed at the hospital with me and was basically a bill for the meals that he ate while there with me. After all that - IV antibiotics, extra doctors, epidural, emergency C-section, and a 3 day stay at the NICU, plus countless procedures while he was there - that was our bill. I am so grateful for the Icelandic healthcare that helped me bring home a healthy baby and didn't leave my family with piles of bills to pay. Our first day's as new parents were spent falling absolutely in love with our new bundle of joy and not in a panic attack about how to pay for some ungodly bills.