Odd thing; whenever someone tells me how we should have socialized medicine in this country, I tell them about how you don't get Novocain when you have your teeth drilled when you go to the dentist in England. They always move right on to the next topic of discussion.
Re-read my post. I am not advocating socialized medicine for the US. I should have stated this directly, since on this forum any good thing pointed out about socialized medicine is automatically translated into support for the idea(constricted mentality of too many Freepers who only think in black and white).
There are shortcomings with our system (possibility of personal bankruptcy). And there are shortcomings with the socialized system (long waits and so forth). Both systems have their benefits. That was my argument. If socialized medicine were all bad, Europeans would have ditched it long ago. I have family in Europe - I know all about the good and the bad.
Keep in mind that Medicare is socialized medicine for the elderly. Few retirees are calling for its elimination.
As for the novacaine, there are certain parts of medical treatment my insurance doesn't pay for either.