I’ve written previously about the vast free clinic in Los Angeles to reach some of the unserved in the greatest nation on earth. But this British take on the story is interesting, since the Republicans are using Britain as a bogeyman in the debate. The Independent, no liberal newspaper, isn’t having any of it. Some data from the story:

Health spending as a share of GDP

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US 16%

UK 8.4%

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Public spending on healthcare (% of total spending on healthcare)

US 45%

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UK 82%

Health spending per head

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US $7,290

UK $2,992

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Practising physicians (per 1,000 people)

US 2.4

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UK 2.5

Nurses (per 1,000 people)

US 10.6

UK 10.0

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Acute care hospital beds (per 1,000 people)

US 2.7

UK 2.6

Life expectancy:

US 78

UK 80

Infant mortality (per 1,000 live births)

US 6.7

UK 4.8

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