Also a Brit. I think about my various trips to hospital throughout my life and cannot imagine the difference if I was coping with money at the same time.

As a child, breaking my arm was upsetting, but imagine if it put additional financial strain on an already strained family?

My motorbike accident age 18 would have just been flat out medical bankruptcy (and potentially worse/incomplete recovery). I was pretty miserable anyway, adding that would've been demoralising in the extreme.