A very good article...

... written by someone much more knowledgeable than I, and with a lot more writing ability:

5 Myths About Health Care Around the World
By T.R. Reid
Sunday, August 23, 2009
WaPo
As Americans search for the cure to what ails our health-care system, we've overlooked an invaluable source of ideas and solutions: the rest of the world. All the other industrialized democracies have faced problems like ours, yet they've found ways to cover everybody -- and still spend far less than we do.

Read the entire article!