At no.23, with quite a few countries doing better (some of them a bit unexpected - take the number one for a start), the NHS/UK is after all not the world's best - how facts spoil assumptions.
The question is implied above: Is it better to have an absolutely free everything as opposed to requiring some contribution from the patient when (as the statistics state) the outcome is going to be unsatisfactory, even with early death ? I know something about several of the top ten systems where some items are charged for but most of consultation and treatment is free. Apologies for the bad dot.