Thread by @TheDevilHistory

A thread: The Right's disingenuous approach to U.S. health care is a moral travesty. Trump & his ilk love to point to Canadian health care as a weapon against Democrats. As an American who has lived in Canada for 10 years, let me comment. 1/
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I've lived in Alberta & Ontario, & I've never had to pay to see my doctor. Once you get your health card, you merely show it at the office. There's no co-pay, no deductibles. There is genuine freedom that comes from seeing a doctor at no cost & paying $5 for a prescription. 2/

Never once have I had any trouble seeing my regular doctor in a timely manner. Now, when you get a referral to see a specialist, or to have non-emergency surgery, you may have to wait for a few days, weeks, & sometimes months. The Right always rails against these wait times. 3/

And while wait times are often (but NOT always) a downside to Canadian health care, they don't make the system untenable, far from it. In fact, wait times exist in U.S. health care too! And in Canada, I've seen most specialists in a fairly timely manner at no cost. 4/

Moreover, in 2017, I had surgery in Toronto to remove a benign tumor from my right hand. Between the referral, the surgeon's consultation, the MRI, & the operation, I waited a few months. When I had the day surgery, it literally cost me $1.50—for the gauze I bought after. 5/

That's right: a surgery was completely covered. And when my daughter was born in Toronto, it literally cost us $20 for the whole birth & recuperation. The $20 was the parking fee. There is real, genuine freedom in knowing that your essential health coverage won't bankrupt you. 6/

Right-wing Americans cannot fathom the existential anxiety that comes from lacking adequate health insurance. The mental toll it exacts on people is deeply cruel & unnecessary. If you've ever paid high premiums for crappy coverage, ask yourself why America lets that happen. 7/

And please spare me the canned retort of, "universal health care isn't free, you pay for it with taxes." You're damn right, & it's absolutely worth it. The security you get from knowing that the health insurance pool is spread out over the entire population is invaluable. 8/

You think that high premiums, deductibles, & the shared cost of absorbing into the market all those who have bad insurance or lack insurance altogether—you think THOSE costs are that different from taxes? Either way, the money comes out of your paycheck. 9/

When Trump accuses Democrats of "taking" your healthcare, step back & remember that the Democrats are behind every policy or program—Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare—that has alleviated suffering over the last 70 yrs. The Republicans opposed ALL those programs. 10/

Look, if your political philosophy is, "I got mine, so screw you," fine. But that makes you a selfish person. That makes you a person unbothered by the suffering of your fellow humans. That makes you a person who actively works to make the world a more cruel & unjust place. 11/

As for me, I'm far from perfect, but I choose not to be that person. I choose to contribute to society in a compassionate manner because I'm a member of that society, & if that society goes to Hell, we all face the consequences—TOGETHER. 12/

The next time Republicans bring up the boogie man of "socialism," ask yourself why they support a system that lets private corporations become rich off of your YOUR suffering. Paying lots of money just to get healed isn't freedom. It's time Americans recognize this fact. /Fin