The NHS provides free treatment for many things - right from the maternity care, the hospital for the birth, most medical needs throughout childhood. The deductions from wages for tax and National Insurance vary according to income, and there are charges for prescriptions if not exempt, but when older, that is no longer to be paid, so I get all my medication free plus a state pension.
I know which system I prefer to live with. When I was working I used to estimate that I worked for the state one week of each month, but it still left me enough to buy a house and ride a motorbike even when I lived alone.