The UK NHS costs the target population £20.67bn every month

@SunshineGirl You are comparing apples and pears. In the US most people have to pay for health care. The same is true to some extent in many, I think most, European countries. In the UK no-one has to pay, though many choose to.

@MartinII Everybody in the UK, Europe, pays. The difference is in the system. All European systems cost far less than the US system, and there's the question, why? The follow up question being why do Americans put up with this?

@MartinII And the fact that we have universal healthcare free at the point of use and still have lower expenditure per capita suggests that our socialised healthcare system is more efficient than the privately run or hybrid equivalents.

@SunshineGirl Efficiency depends on outcomes.

@MartinII Average life expectancy in USA = c. 77 years. Average life expectancy in UK (with a per capita healthcare spend around 45% of that in the USA) = c. 81 years.

@SunshineGirl Western European countries are more appropriate comparators. Anyway, you need to look at historic trends, metrics for treatment of particular conditions, demographic differences etc. As it happens, someone has just posted that Italy has the highest life expectancy in Europe.

@MartinII Indeed, but I'm not sure the OP will be particularly receptive to detailed statistical analysis. He posted a simplified statement, I responded proportionately.