(September 15, 2012 at 2:38 pm)Tiberius Wrote: a lot of people live under the delusion that it is "free".
No they don't. I don't know anyone who thinks that.
"Free" = "Free at the point of delivery". That's all that it's ever meant.
As for you wanting to opt out from the NHS altogether... what happens if you're in a traffic accident? Should the NHS ambulance be cancelled if your wallet has a BUPA card in it? A lot of "private" healthcare is actually carried out by the NHS, but you're charged for it. Oh, you'll likely have much shorter waiting times and your own room instead of a bed on a ward... but it will still be NHS.
Always good to know that the healthcare of the wealthy is more important than the healthcare of the poor.