You are of course correct that having a health service, rather than none, is a very good thing indeed. When you say the NHS is "great", what are you comparing it with ? If you simply look at what is achieved and think that is marvellous then that is one thing (big progress over medieval times when pretty much everyone who fell ill died as a result). But if you trawl through impartial international comparisons then quite a few other national health services score better in efficiency (what you get for the cost to the nation) and efficacy (straight forward results in keeping the nation alive and healthy). I recall one such comparison published a year or so back where (if I remember correctly) England came out number 17 and Scotland number 16. Some would say "a brave effort but could do better".