Dude. I have no idea how what you describe is even jokingly referred to as “health care”. It’s health care theatre, and it’s insane. For a country to care so little for its own people boggles my mind.

You know about my recent health care fun. I went from a questionable blood test result (which was free), to 2 rounds of progressively advanced screening (also free), to a bone marrow biopsy (free, but definitely not recommended), CT scan (free), and then to a diagnosis of a potentially very expensive disease to manage and treat.

The total cost for my long term health management plan is $0. Everything – EVERYTHING – that is important is covered by our (OUR) provincial health care plan. Some things, like prescriptions, aren’t directly covered, but are picked up by my employer’s blue cross plan with an initial out-of-pocket fee in the single digits per year. (And even supplementary insurance is available through the province at a reasonable cost)

One of the potential treatment plans includes a new-ish drug that would cost over $100K per year, taking expensive pills daily. All covered. No cooking crystal meth to pay for it. No bankruptcy or liquidating assets.

I am _extremely_ grateful that, although we are facing some potentially shitty times in the next few years, finances won’t be one of the things we have to worry about. As it should be. We come together as citizens of a province, pay our taxes into a common pool, and use that pool to fund essential services that make the lives of all us collectively better. But that gets spun in US media as “death squads” and “communism” and “failed health care.” I’m grateful to be part of a community that cares about its citizens enough to make sure basic health care – and advanced health care when needed – is available without undue stress.