I have lived in the UK since 1995. I’ve had 2 children here. They’re both fully vaccinated. My husband and daughter have both had emergency appendectomies. Both children have had braces. I’ve broken a tooth. My daughter has worn glasses for ten years. We’ve had a run-in with Lyme disease. I’ve had cervical cysts removed twice. The list goes on and on. My maternity care included pre-natal classes and follow-up visits after the children were born; my 8-year-old daughter’s appendectomy included a place for me to stay with her in the hospital for most of a week. The care we’ve received has been first rate. I can get an appointment on the same day for non-emergency care. Yes, I pay for this service in my taxes. No, it is not an unreasonable cost. I can visit any country in the European Union and expect the same level of care there. For all the flaws in the system, it is a fantastic system. I am privileged to be covered by it and extremely grateful. My husband, daughter and son have all LITERALLY had their lives saved by the NHS: I would be a childless widow without their expertise. And there has never been a bill for any of it. I am self-employed. As I approach retirement age, I have to face the hard reality that I will never be able to move back to the United States because I will not be able to afford the health care. Please, please help fix this broken system for all the generations to come. Elizabeth Gatland