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Sorry for getting off topic, but it's hard sometimes not to connect things.

Kawboy - yes, absolutely. Canada is run in a very similar way to a communist system I've experienced. 0f course, you can't compare everything at face value and directly. But how the public money is distributed, the discrepancy between what the government and otherwise elite makes and gets, what an average citizen can, or rather can't, afford, the bureaucracy, hidden rules and laws, the unaccountability of the ruling elite, are very similar to what I observed growing up in communist Poland. It's not just my opinion. When I have a chance talking to people who grew up behind the iron curtain, like Poles and Russians for example, I hear what I just said from them before me making any comment. And Canada is sliding downwards very fast when it comes to quality of life and that is directly tied to what one can afford and have access to.

Quote from Wikipedia, and that's the same what Canadian government statistics say as well. And mind you, Canada has about 37 million people, and brings at least 400k new people every year.

4.9 million
1 in 7 (or 4.9 million) people in Canada live in poverty. In Edmonton, 1 in 8 individuals are currently living in poverty. Poverty costs Canada billions of dollar annually

The biggest problem with govt. funded health is that it is a bottomless pit . No matter how much money is put into it, there will never be enough. Add to that the huge advances in science and technology to be able to diagnose an ever increasing number health issues humans didn't know existed until yesterday, then a publicly funded system struggles to keep up.
If there wasn't a limit to the amount of money a public service can provide for it's citizens, then what would it look like ? It would be a free-for -all, with every headache, sniffle and back ache attended to. I have a incurable health problem of which there is no solution / or fix. So would I be better off in the American system with my insurance company( of which I was lucky enough to find an employer who contributed to the premiums ) paying the bills. I have added private insurance in this country, but there are limits to what they will pay- the rules are very strict and the boundaries clearly defined. The way I see it is there will never be an anywhere near perfect system, we all must take as much responsibility for ourselves, and try to mitigate the difficulties we might ourselves in the best we can.

Absolutely Tacklehappy. My intention was to point out such misconceptions, that it's a free for all system here. The reality is, it is advertised as such but nothing like that in reality. And there is a money grab on top of that, in places where there shouldn't be. My parent's family doctor charges $3 per page of anything printed on her laser printer. If you ask for a copy of your blood etc. tests, and it's 5 pages, she charges $15. Press a button to open file, press print, voila - $15 bucks. A 500 pages stack cost maybe $8 - 10. Laser printer cartridge, maybe 20 and it lasts for 2000+ pages. Hmm... And the physician gets paid from taxes for each visit, the same, no matter if it takes 5 minutes or 15. So, the system is very muddy.

Here, in Canada, you need additional private insurance to be covered extra. The government healthcare does not cover everything! Many very serious conditions are not covered, simply because they are 'too rare'. Nat many are not rare at all, but treatment is available only out of pocket if you don't have the private insurance. And private insurance does not cover all as well, and not 100% fully while at it. Some treatments are available only outside Canada, in the USA. Some are available in Canada, but would cost tens of thousands of dollars.

So, the idea of taking own responsibility is a good one, but not bullet proof in practice. And it is actually a necessity, but unfortunately not available to every one. Life is crazy expensive here, and simply not everyone can afford it. And imagine a family of 4 or 5? Why is it like this? When in the meantime, new immigrants who can bring unproductive family members and children, get free coverage before contributing anything first? Keeping the image of having this 'universal free healthcare' in mind, the necessity purchasing a private coverage on top of that as you suggest, wouldn't it put the whole 'free' in question? 0f course, because it's not free.

Like I said, I've lived in communism where everything was 'free'. In fact, it wasn't. People paid for this with hidden taxes. The 'free' idea is wonderful, but it is utopia. What ticks me off is the muddiness of how things are presented here versus how they are run. It's schizophrenic, for no better word for it. You are told you're taken care of, everything packaged very beautifully, but you're on your own when trouble happens. Healthcare is just a small portion of this. There are places with rampant corruption, and everyone know that and plays it because that's how it works. You bring a bottle of vodka or an anvelope, you get stuff. But here, it's like having legalized corruption. Everything 'available', but when you need it, the small print read such requirements that you can't actually access it. You're left on your own. The only way to taking own responsibility and having your back covered, is having money in the bank. And you can't have it these days, unless cashing out on the investment, mostly real estate, from decades ago, or cashing what inherit from you parents. Well, and there are rich new immigrants, mostly Chinese, who come with loaded and buy multi million dollar houses for cash. Everyone else, the average Joe and Jane, have no way purchasing this peace of mind this time in Canada. Just not possible.