The Moment: London

Leon Neal / AFP / Getty

Demonstrators tend to march in discontent, so when a crowd gathers to applaud a government policy it's worth taking notice. At a small rally outside the U.S. embassy in London on Aug. 19, activists stood under a banner that read: "Go for it America Our National Health Service is a blessing for all."

As America debates healthcare reform, Britons — and Europeans more widely — have rediscovered how much they love their state-backed health services. Britain's National Health Service (NHS) is a rare example of truly socialized medicine, with universally available treatment administered by the government and funded...

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