[Steve_Seattle]

"free healthcare"

You do capture the idiocy of the phrase. Obviously, it is NOT "free," but paid for circuitously.

[agere_contra]

The NHS (our “free” healthcare system) is paid for with half the VAT receipts - meaning, half the 17.5% sales tax on pretty much everything one can buy except books and food.

There is a minor contribution from something called National Insurance, but the Value Added Tax is the main source of funding.

So, the NHS costs us about, what, 8% of GDP? And it’s infamous for triage and long queues.