Yes, of course the costs are covered by tax dollars, Jeri, as are the costs of public education, the military, the courts, law enforcement, the various levels of government, major transportation and communication and utility networks, and most of the other stuff we take for granted and without which we could not have a functioning society. So what? Does this hurt me? I don't think so. I don't mind paying for what is needed by the whole society.

The point is that those costs are spread out proportionately among the whole population, so that people can afford to pay for these things...and so the few that are struck with an illness at any given time are not figuratively kicked in the teeth by society when they are down and least able to deal with the situation.

If you think that the portion of Canadian yearly tax dollars that I and my family have to contribute toward being medically covered is in any way comparable to the incredible sums of money Americans get charged for a medical emergency in the USA...then you have missed my point, haven't you?

I am not crippled by my yearly income taxes. I can budget for them. They don't sneak up and hit me unawares as an illness or an injury can.   Also, my taxes are not going to finance the world's most bloated military budget. I wonder how much the average American is paying each year to kill Iraqis and other such unfortunate people? I bet it's a lot more than I pay for medical coverage...and it's a lot worse spent.

My opinion? A cynical bunch of American politicians have misled generations of Americans by offering them the carrot of (supposedly) "lower taxes", pandering to their self-interest basically, while robbing them out of their back and side pockets in a thousand ways that they never even notice. The tax you pay in your yearly income tax return is just ONE of the many ways that people are taxed in a modern society. Most of those ways are cleverly hidden from immediate notice. It's a flim-flam operation. The amazing thing is, people fall for it every time...and they think, "Oh, that won't happen to me...so why should I pay any taxes in case it does? I mean, hey, who cares if it happens to some else anyway? And why should I pay for someone else's problems?"