American Out for Dinner in England When Realization About...

By Soo Kim

Life and Trends Reporter

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A Threads post from an American in southern England has ignited a wider conversation about the contrasting realities of life in the United States and the United Kingdom, particularly when it comes to healthcare access and the feel of everyday public spaces.

Jennifer Crow (@jennifer.m.crow) found herself reflecting on what she called the “privilege” enjoyed by people living in the U.K. while having dinner at a local pub.

In the post on Threads, where it has had 112,000 views since it was shared on November 19, she said: “Everyone in that pub has the privilege of living without the fear of losing their healthcare if they lose their jobs.” For her, the thought underscored an enormous cultural and structural divide.

Crow observed that people in Britain “would not think twice about calling an ambulance if they needed emergency care,” noting that residents there are not preoccupied with premiums, copays, or political gridlock that can determine the cost of care back home.

A woman with her hand on her forehead sitting at a bar.

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Her reflections come at a time when research continues to spotlight the strain many Americans face in affording medical treatment.

A January 2025 study published in the Annals of Medicine & Surgery found that healthcare debt is a pervasive issue across the United States, affecting millions of people. Nearly half of U.S. adults struggle to afford healthcare, and around 9 percent reported owing more than $250 because of medical costs, according to the study. The study also emphasized that uninsured Americans and those with lower incomes bear the greatest burden.

Another report, a 2023 study from The Commonwealth Fund, revealed that even insured Americans often find their coverage inadequate and are forced to delay or skip care due to cost. Many of those who postponed treatment reported declining health as a result, including 54 percent of people with employer-sponsored insurance and more than 60 percent of those in marketplace plans, Medicaid, or Medicare.

While healthcare differences dominated much of her post, Crow also pointed to lifestyle contrasts that felt equally striking.

She noted that the pub she visited had no televisions blaring constant news or sports, nor was there loud, pulsing music to fray the nerves. Instead, she described an environment filled with wood-burning stoves, cushioned benches and chairs, and piles of books.

The bar, she added, offered so many non-alcoholic options that she struggled to choose one. Crow argued that British pubs operate as genuine community centers and “third spaces,” writing that the U.K. “knew what it was doing” in shaping spaces that foster connection, warmth, and social cohesion in ways she believes the U.S. to replicate. “America could never with that level of social cohesion,” she wrote in the post. “I may never recover.”

'A Disgrace'

Her observations prompted a flurry of reactions from Threads users on both sides of the Atlantic.

Some said her reflections captured what they see as serious failings in their country. User @pamelaoliverasart wrote, “I talk about this all the time. America is a disgrace,” while @katysaysso_ argued that Americans need to demand universal healthcare and that taxpayers should have far more influence over the system.

Others offered personal testimony to the strength of the U.K.’s National Health Service. User @hellopalendrome described losing her job before undergoing a hysterectomy—an operation that was completely free regardless of her employment status.

Another user, @cmjolley, an American who has lived in the U.K. for more than two decades, said surviving cancer in Britain spared her the financial devastation she might have faced in the U.S.

Still, some users argued that the U.K. is far from a utopia. User @heather_m_gray responded that “free doesn't mean good” and described the U.K. healthcare system as “utterly broken,” while @briangbowie said that getting an appointment with a specialist can take so long that “you could die before you get to see someone.”

Others noted that the same problems of dwindling community spaces exist in the U.K. as well, with @canute2012 pointing out that many traditional rural pubs have shuttered in recent years.

Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via Threads.

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