And will people still ask me incredulous questions about the NHS in Britain, then tell me how strongly they hope that socialized medicine never comes to the US?
Of course, the new law, while revolutionary for the US, is still a world away from the UK system.
In London, all prescription drugs for me, as a mother who had given birth in the past year, and my kids, both under 16, were free; we visited the doctor without paying a pence; and of course, ambulance rides, wheelchairs, and other medical necessities carried no charge.
Even though people still have to pay for care, this law is a big step towards the safety net that the NHS offered all Britons (but I won’t spread that around, since the letter “N-H-S” still seem to make a lot of people recoil here).
Reverse Culture Shock 
I didn’t think it would pass and I had mixed feelings about it. However there was never any doubt in my mind that healthcare reform had to happen in this country. I’m glad that more Americans will have access to healthcare. For a brief time in my twenties, I was in the position of having horrible healthcare. I was unemployed for a brief time, working temp jobs and paying for a high-deductible policy with only catastrophic coverage. It would have been great if I had been able to stay on my mom’s health insurance or bought into a state pool. I would happily pay some extra taxes to ensure that people like my younger self and others in a disadvantaged position have a safety net.