:p @ Gorth's Oz experience. Yes. I guess that would make you a customer in a way.
Cant, your experiences in the US might be even morevaluable because theres a perception here that US medcare is more consumerist/free market.
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So far I'm picking up on two things:
1) service, with an element of responsiveness in that service. Even a degree of proactive standards
2) Pay on delivery, with Enoch implying the old concept of 'investment' (I think). If your customer is the state then the citizen isn't really the customer. They're like the nephew of a rich patron. Except the patron is old and insane. Mistreat their nephew and they probably won't even understand anything is wrong.
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My point really was to seek to describe the distinguishing features of a customer, as opposed to other roles we play in society.