>Who decides what is essential to an individual's health? In Canada is it his or her physician? If it is not the person's physician, who makes the decision about what is essential to their health? The government? If so, I have a BIG problem with that.

The list of free treatments are decided by the administrators of the regime (read government).

>If one is having a heart attack, waiting one's turn means that, in all probability, one will be dead. Problem solved.

Life threatening situations are of course highly prioritized (read treated right away).

>And who decides what is too much money for an individual? If one works hard, why shouldn't one be compensated with what you call "too much money in their pocket" so that they can send their children to better schools, fly business first instead of economy class or take more luxurious vacations? Or do you think that the hard-working individual's money should be taken away from him or her and given to someone else who, perhaps, does not work as hard? I guarantee you that if you do that, no one will be working very hard for very much longer.

When did I say that they cannot use their money as they want it to?

>I thought that in Canada (unlike the UK) that the individual did not have the option of private health insurance - that the NHS is the only insurance provider. Aside from that, does it also mean that you will be treated in a timely fashion even if your illness is not life threatening. Or, does it mean that, even if you are in excruciating pain every second of every day that you may have to wait up to a year if your illness is not life threatening?

We have some private health centers that offer certain services. It's not 100% public.

I don't have access to the inner working of the system, but I'm pretty sure that each cases are threated independently and they are categorized in some category like "urgent (life threatening)", "moderate (some pain, but not life threatening)" and "lite (can work pretty much normally)". The lower you are categorized, the longer you will have to wait before be threated, as some new higher categories will pass before you. Of course, if your situation degrade, you will be pushed higher in the scale.

>Sorry, but you are wrong here. The amount that you earn is the gross amount. The amount the the government takes away from you is the difference between the gross and net amounts.

I know that. It's just that I don't pay attention to the gross amount. I plan my budget based on the amount I get on my paycheck.

>I never said that I thought I did not have to pay any taxes. I am happy to pay my fair share for police and fire protection, for street lighting and so on . I am not happy to have the money that I earn re-distributed to deadbeats who don't want to work as hard as I do.

Not everyone who doesn't have a job are deadbeats. Go ask all those victims of the current recession.

>I am certain that this is the case and would not expect anything else. You mentioned elsewhere that you are in your mid 30's. You have been raised under a socialist system your entire life and that is your frame of reference.

Gee, thanks. You made me look about 10 years younger :)