Me? I've lived with socialized medicine for over 25 years. And I know some doctors rather well. Whether the system works depends on the person. It fails many, and it most often fails the non-wealthy. And it's going to get continually worse as budgets tighten. This is a fact in Japan, and a fact in Germany. I was just speaking with Germans (who live in Germany) who run long term healthcare facilties, and they say that the tap is drying up. Faster in some states than others. But one of their biggest concerns is how they will be able to provide support in the near future.
For a young non-taxpayer like you, it's great. If you break a leg skiing, it gets patched up for little cost to you. If you are older, require long-term care, or require an expensive but lifesaving treatment, you may be out of luck.
A friend of mine passed away a couple years ago from leukemia. Until he was diagnosed, he was a very fit and healthy 72 year old. I may have his exact age wrong, but the clincher was he was one year past a cut-off date. Had he been one year younger, he could have opted for a bone marrow transplant. One year older, and he was out of luck, no matter how healthy he was otherwise. The state insurance has many such rules to save money.
With Germany's declining economy, ageing workforce and influx of unskilled immigrants, the system will soon be overburdened. By the time you need it, it won't likely be very good. But that's all in the future.
