How different is the UK's National Health Service from the kind of medicine practiced in the United States, or from the kind of medicine practiced in Canada? I'm primarily interested in philosophical differences.

The author of The American Way of Birth [1] was traumatized by her two experiences giving birth in the United States. Her first two children were born in the UK - it was a much more pleasant experience.

[1] https://books.google.com/books?id=QVqcPwAACAAJ

(note to self - another book with the same title: https://books.google.com/books?id=xqVsAAAAMAAJ )