There is no perfect health system. All over the world, politicians struggle to make the best of a bad job that gets worse as we become able to do more. Should health care be funded from general taxation? Hypothecated tax? Social insurance? A mixed model? Would charging to visit the doctor help? Look in any general medical journal, or keep an eye on the serious media: these ideas are discussed at length. The evidence of cost-effectiveness of the various models is infinitely interpretable, and no two countries …