It’s a seemingly simple question. But I think I struggled with it when it got asked and then it came to me. I’m most grateful that I got treatment + meds for mental health in my 20s. Americans often idealize the Canadian health care system. And while yes it’s much better overall there are still lots of cracks that people can fall into (medications being the big one).

I suspect health and good health or having been healed when they were sick would be high on the list of things people are grateful for. It still puzzles me that while we’re always supportive of individuals we know who are sick we still aren’t all convinced that we should care for everyone. Like if your tax dollars were going to someone who was going to try to profit from getting dialysis or something ridiculous like that. It’s especially strange in the US where the cost of healthcare for everyone pales in comparison to their military budget. Regardless I think it’s something we need to keep pushing forward on. There have been some (from what I understand) positives change in the US and there are some positive ones happening here in terms of expanding pharmacare to everyone (both at the provincial and federal level). I wouldn’t be surprised if it was part of the Federal Liberal party’s 2019 campaign.

All that to say I’m always confused that healthcare for all is not something we can all agree on and prioritize given that our health is something we cherish and are so often grateful for.