We cannot discuss healthcare in Spain without a special mention of the private system. In theory, public healthcare is sufficient to cover all basic needs, but in reality more and more Spaniards choose private insurance to avoid endless waiting lists. It is like paying for early entry to a concert: you know you ought to be able to wait with everyone else, but if you can skip the queue, you do.
This raises an important question, however: are we moving toward two-speed healthcare? While the middle and upper classes can afford private insurance guaranteeing quick consultations and operating theaters without a wait, those without that option remain dependent on an increasingly overloaded public system. And here comes the great dilemma: should healthcare be entirely public and free, or are we accepting privatization as the only viable way out?