"Socialized medicine is great for simple checkups, but breaks down as you get older and need major surgery" That's a very odd statement - at least in the US -

"Socialized medicine is great for simple checkups, but breaks down as you get older and need major surgery" That's a very odd statement - at least in the US - because health care for the elderly is paid for through Medicare. It's done that way because the elderly are more-or-less uninsurable due to the high costs of providing care. In other words, the US's free-market-style health care only works for the elderly because it's socialized.