The GP system is failing, but the Americans will tell you that a £2k bill for an A&E visit is quite cheap. Mind you, the American system has three sets of numbers which are mostly fictional and completely different: the hospital bill, the amount paid by the insurer, and the out-of-pocket "excess" that you actually have to pay.

Don't forget that in both countries public healthcare has to do a lot for the over-65s who don't have spare money for spiralling costs.