Here are some pointers on how an unregulated healthcare system works.
I fell off a horse. Twice. It was the same horse, and without wishing to blame anyone, the beast threw me. Twice. Yes, the first time my panama hat blew off in the wind and I flailed up, trying to grab it as it sailed away. A sudden movement like that would alarm any horse. I understand. But the second time was just for fun. For the horse, not for me. I landed on my right buttock the first fall, but the second time I landed on my right buttock.
Within 24 hours my bruised muscles had clenched rigid and I could hardly walk. I could lower myself into a chair or onto a bed slowly and with great care. Getting up again was more difficult. After three days rest I ventured an excruciating 8 hour bus journey back to Lima.
People in the UK have enjoyed a healthcare system focused on care rather than profit, for the past seventy years. When you visit a GP, when you go to the hospital, the people that you meet are focused on helping you. That is their training and their motivation. They get paid for doing that job, which is focused on your wellbeing.
What it felt like, was that a large muscle had seized up and if I tried to use it, it ripped. And it was surprising how many movements seemed to involve this muscle.
My healthcare was covered by insurance and that meant that it was focusable on billable items. So they gave me an x-ray and a course of injections, muscle relaxants. All good. But a few things were a little scary. I was lying on a couch and a nursing assistant came over to help me up.
I knew, from painful experience, how I could move from a lying position to standing. I fact the simplest way would be to roll of the couch or bed onto the floor, turn face down, and raise myself into a crouch. I could then use my arms to lever myself up onto my knees. From there, holding onto the bedside, I could raise myself using my legs without my back muscles.
This nursing assistant, as I told him to stop, grabbed my arm and pulled. As I screamed in pain he turned and yelled to the nurse “Has he broken anything?”.
‘”No” she replied, so he carried on pulling.
Compare this with a car repair shop for example.