Do you also have dental and eye (glasses) insurance covered by the government?

In Canada we don't, unless its really a health issue; your health is in peril if you don't treat your cavities or this kind of gravity.

You get free dental treatment and glasses if you are a student/unemployed.

NHS dental charges for the employed are as follows: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1781.aspx?CategoryID=74&SubC... - each charge covers everything for 2 months subsequently as well.

It is not much really! In 2002, I had to have surgery to have 2 teeth removed which were growing through the roof of my mouth and 4 others removed due to my jaw being too small. It required a general anaesthetic and a day in general surgery at my local hospital, two aftercare visits and one consultant appointment. It only cost me £15 (the lower rate at the time) as it was a referral to a hospital orthadontist. That was it!

You can get GOOD glasses for £30 or WONDERFUL ones for £70 on the high street now in the UK without NHS intervention. You usually get 2 pairs for that. That includes the sight test and consultation. You can also get FREE sight tests and vouchers from your employer.

The UK is wonderful place to live for healthcare!

You're right. I'm gravely pessimistic about the UK in many areas but healthcare is an area I'm really happy with. Due to shortages at the time, I'm "private" for dentistry, and even private prices aren't onerous compared to those in the Americas.

I've paid £30 for a checkup, £400 for a root canal and crown, and £40 for an extraction before. Fillings are between £50-£150 depending on complexity. And then I hear of insured Americans who've paid $300+ for an extraction AFTER their insurance company paid the majority of the bill! :-)

We certainly have it good here. Unless you have cancer and want to get a radical new treatment, of course..

TBH I'm in London and I've never had to wait for dental treatment. I thought it'd be rather busy here.

With respect to "radical new treatments", I'd rather go out with my dignity intact than hold onto some hope of some snake oil possibly working.

Under 18s do, and students can claim back the costs (At least for the dental, I'm not 100% on the glasses).

Adults don't get those 2 for free though, same as you.

I think the idea of taking the break to learn is a great one, but only if you have the purpose for it already decided. There is an endless amount of fascinating content on all sorts of topics available, but if I were to take a break to really brush up on a particular area, I'd want to know that when I was done, I'd be in a better position (For a particular job I want, startup idea to tackle etc.)

If it's more general though, I think it's harder to justify (of course, learning while building a personal project is a different scenario altogether!)