One of the signs of a decent society is that it also looks after people who prove incapable of looking after themselves. Big deal- what real impact does it have on your lifestyle?

First of all, who said that she was incapable of looking after herself? She has had some recent health issues, but with the exception of the last couple of months, she has been just fine and quite capable of working - she is, after all, only 42 years old.

Actually, the fact that the government takes away almost half of my income in order to redistribute it to people who they seem to think deserve it more than I do does have a real impact on my lifestyle.

If you were most anywhere else in the free world, you could decide whether to wait a little and have your op for free, or pay some money (or have optional health insurance) so the same surgeon could do your op in a private setting.

Oh yes, I know that, I also know that you are not a big fan of anecdotal evidence - you prefer polls. But here is another real world example that contradicts your statement.
Back in 1998, Andy needed arthroscopic surgery on his knee. He was in constant pain and could barely walk. If he had wanted to wait to have his surgery through the NHS, he would have had to wait 2 years - 2 years of excruciating pain because his problem was not life threatening. That is the problem with socialized medicine - it is just a way to ration medical services.

Fortunately, Andy had private insurance, so he did not have to suffer for another 2 years. However, if you add up what he was paying in taxes for the NHS and what he was paying for his private insurance, he was paying more for health insurance than I was paying in the states at the time.

Also please consider the existence of "medical tourism" where it is tens of thousands of dollars cheaper to take a 6-week 4-star vacation to (say) New Zealand where the cost of your hip replacement is 20% of the US cost and the quality according to the Commonwealth Institute is slightly better.

I was very happy with my surgeon here in the states, thank you. What evidence do you have that the quality of my hip replacement would have been better if I had had it in New Zealand instead of in the states?

The funding of your system is thoroughly messed up and you seem irritated to pay for the church mouse- but her costs are as nothing compared to the mega-bonuses and dividends flowing furiously out of healthcare into already overflowing parasitic pockets. I promise you- let these people drive your system for another decade and the banking crisis will look like a minor blip.

Which people are you talking about? Health insurers? Or Obamacare?

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2014/06/27/profits-in-health-insurance-under-obamacare/