That's pretty close to how it works in Canada. The difference is the difference between "free" and $60/mo if your income is sufficiently high.
So, in addition to the nominal required subscription, we optionally pay for additional services at hospitals like private rooms, etc. We also pay for additional health insurance that covers prescriptions, full dental and some discretionary medical procedures that aren't, or are partially covered in the universal plan.
The efficacy of the system is manifest in one of it's largest problems: Large numbers of non-Canadians scamming the system with fake medical cards. In BC, we're currently rolling out a revised personal identification system, in large part, to address this.
In case a US cousin here on HN is tempted to make some hay with that "non-Canadian" thing, please, reconsider. :) Also note, the reason that we bother to harass you folks with how far from optimal you've strayed on this topic is that the wacky ideology 'free market blah blah', leaks into our countries and is a huge distraction from pushing our systems forward. We have to keep fighting these fights that, in all practical terms, are long dead. If you guys were to get a grip on your own setup, the rest of the world would heave a huge sigh.
I used to live in the UK, but now live in Canada. There are a few problems, but for the most part healthcare works very well in both countries and the vast majority of people are happy with it. You just get issues in fast-growing cities like Calgary, but those issues are being resolved. I agree that most of the objection to free healthcare in the US is wacky ideology. The ridiculous thing is that they have free education, but nobody is whining about having a commie education system :)
So, in addition to the nominal required subscription, we optionally pay for additional services at hospitals like private rooms, etc. We also pay for additional health insurance that covers prescriptions, full dental and some discretionary medical procedures that aren't, or are partially covered in the universal plan.
The efficacy of the system is manifest in one of it's largest problems: Large numbers of non-Canadians scamming the system with fake medical cards. In BC, we're currently rolling out a revised personal identification system, in large part, to address this.
In case a US cousin here on HN is tempted to make some hay with that "non-Canadian" thing, please, reconsider. :) Also note, the reason that we bother to harass you folks with how far from optimal you've strayed on this topic is that the wacky ideology 'free market blah blah', leaks into our countries and is a huge distraction from pushing our systems forward. We have to keep fighting these fights that, in all practical terms, are long dead. If you guys were to get a grip on your own setup, the rest of the world would heave a huge sigh.