The government does not always mess up when providing health care. In Chicago, Cook County Hospital just underwent a $550 million renovation that has given the doctors the conveniences and design improvements they want, while replacing the infamous patient wards with semiprivate rooms. The old facility, though falling apart, boasted the premier trauma center in a city filled with prestigious hospitals and now it has adequate facilities.
It's pretty sad that the French hospital system crashed and burned this year -- The Spectator (UK) did an article praising every aspect of his hospital stay, from the attentive nurses, the excellent food and the splendid teamwork. Granted, the author was from the UK, where the NIH hospitals do not enjoy a good reputation.
As for differences in life expectancy, perhaps America's fairly high infant mortality rate and murder rate would explain shorter American life expectancies. And, of course 9/11 did us no favors in that department.