In most countries where there is a single payer system, the system is constantly on the verge of bankruptcy and the quality of care is less than excellent. In addition care is often rationed.

I had a friend from England who desperately needed a hip replacement. She was placed on a waiting list and waited, in pain, for years. When she was finally called she was told that she was too old for that surgery as it wasn't cost efficient to spend the money on a new hip when she was probably going to die within the next few years. So she lived the last twelve years of her life in serious pain and addicted to pain killers which were also rationed.

When the system begins to get into financial trouble, taxes are raised. I just had a conversation with a British friend who defends the National Health but was complaining because they just raised taxes on self employed persons which includes her.

Gas is $4-$6 per gallon in Canada with most of that money going to taxes to support "free" health care.

And like Britain people in Canada are often on waiting lists. Those with serious problems that can afford it often come across the border top the U.S. to get treatment.

The French health care system is on the verge of bankruptcy and exceeds it's budget by billions of Euros each year.

This is why so many in this country are against such a system. Of course many are fooled by thinking that they will get something for free.

And as Rubicon points out, our government never does anything efficiently. There is an incredible amount of waste in every area of our federal government. I fear that if a single payer system was ever put in place here, politicians would use it to pay for their re-election campaigns. Every member of congress and every senator would be trying to get as much out of it for their state. The pork would be astronomical.