It is very, very different here in the US. Healthcare is obscenely more expensive than the rest of the world. Many doctors refuse to treat patients who are covered by Medicare or Medicaid (government health insurance for the poor) because the government pays so little it doesn't cover their costs. Hospitals over-charge patients with private health insurance to make up for their losses treating Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured patients. Many hospitals practice "treat 'em & street 'em" which means that they stabilize the patients in the emergency room and then release them with no follow-up care to keep their costs down. As a senior citizen, who will soon be eligible for Medicare, I have mixed feelings about it. It will lower my out of pocket costs but restrict my healthcare choices. There is no right to healthcare here in the US. It is a choice. If you can afford it, you can get care. If you can't afford it, your only two choices are bankruptcy or death.