The NHS is Britain’s public health system. The letters stand for National Health Service. You do not pay the doctor or the hospital bill when you use it; the money comes from taxes. Though actually, people say “free”, but it is not magic: workers pay for it through tax, and in England you may still pay a charge for some pharmacy medicines. It began in 1948, after the Second World War, with the idea that care should depend on need, not on how rich you are. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each run their own service now, but people still say the NHS for the whole idea. It is a huge employer and a huge political subject — newspapers talk about “saving the NHS” the way families talk about a shared roof. It is not private US-style insurance, and it is not the same design as Taiwan’s 健保, even though both try to make sure ordinary people can see a doctor.