I was born and raised in Ontario and recall the early days before national health care. Coming from a big family in that day and age, times were very tough and families did without when the hospital bills came due. A lot of kids did without simply because there was no money - back then we didn't dream of having more than one telephone in the house, only one television if you were lucky and only one car - second hand - if you could afford it. I recall getting my foot sliced to the bone by some glass and a neighbour was called in to sew it up ...I had wire pulled from my leg and iodine applied because we didn't use the doctor unless it was considered life or death. People held off going to the doctor as long as they could and in a lot of cases, my grandfather included, they simply died because they could not afford to see a doctor. We can shrug off that death as 'too bad' but bear in mind that he was only 49 years old and left behind 4 dependent kids - the youngest age 10, and a widow who did what most did at that time - she remarried a provider - only the provider beat the crap out of her and the kids. So the death of one person leaves lasting effects on many.
I would take the Canadian system over the US system any day. It might not be perfect but it protects everyone, not just the wealthy or generously employed. My hope is that California will become the Saskatchewan of Canada - and it looks like national healthcare of some sort will become a reality in the USA in the near future. There simply is no way to move forward with the system in place now. That being said - both the issues of litigation and illegals has to be addressed at the same time and I don't have a clue how they are going to do that.
Here's a bit of info on the philosophy and history of healthcare in Canada -sammieswife
The Canadian health care system is based on the philosophy of collective responsibility to protect all citizens on according to need, not ability to pay. Most Canadians consider public health care as an intrinsic element of their national identity. Although national health care had been discussed in Canada since 1919, no real action was taken until 1944. Following the Great Depression the necessity of federal- provincial cooperation became clear and the Saskatchewan government (led by Tommy Douglas’ Co-operative Commonwealth Foundation) became the first province to adopt public hospital insurance. In 1966, The Medical Care Act came into effect, mandating that health care be administrated by provincial governments or non-profit organizations and be portable between provinces. In 1984 the Canada Health Act of 1984 became law, imposing financial sanctions for provincial non-compliance. By 1972 all provinces had a medical insurance plan. Based on a universal ‘Right to Health Care,’ the Canadian system strongly emphasizes the equality of all citizens in its policies. Not only does the Canadian government require that health insurance cover "all medically necessary services," but Canada is the also the only country that forbids any private administration of health care services which are provided publicly. In keeping with the philosophy that the health care system exists to provide a basic right rather than to make a profit, hospitals in Canada are independent non-profit organizations, overseen by a board of trustees.