Silkie, in my experience, most of the Brits who come here for cancer treatment are seeking therapies that aren't available at all outside the US, or they are seeking treatment from a particular doctor who is considered world-class for a fairly rare disease or form of cancer. And you're right, it is very expensive.
@Lemonsandlemonade, our healthcare system has its roots in WWII also. During the war, inflation was a problem so the government froze wages and imposed price controls. There was also a terrible labor shortage because so many people went into the military. Employers couldn't compete for workers by raising wages, so many offered medical insurance and other benefits that were not restricted by wage and price controls. After the war, most people who worked had private medical insurance and really liked it, so replacing it with a government scheme was politically untenable. Thus we are left with a patchwork of private and public insurance plans.
I am just back from my morning run/walk and am waiting for the space heater in the bathroom to warm it up before I take my shower. My ginger cat is on my lap, trying to tell me something, but I'm not sure what. I will probably go to church, since I missed last week taking DD back to uni. The CO2 cartridge on my Sodastream machine has run out, so I'll have to find a replacement later today.
I did a bit of decorating on the Christmas tree last night and it looks lovely.
Prok, congratulations on your negative test result!