I have spent a good bit of time in France and Canada, and worked for a French company for 12 years, and I can say that they are pretty happy overall with their single-payer healthcare, despite what the FauxNews Teabagger Network might tell you. Of course they have gripes, but nothing like what we gripe about relative to our for-profit (big profit) insurance companies controlling our health and well being. FauxNews usually interviews some wingnut Canadian expatriot who is fairly well off and loves the healthcare in the States compared to back home. I bet they would be fine no matter where they were.
I have actually met a couple of these semi-ex-Canadians. One worked for a gold mining company here and she had nothing good to say about Canada taxes and healthcare. Well... that was until she got pregnant. I bet you can guess what she did. Headed back home to get it all payed for, including paid maternity leave, etc.
Normal everyday Canadians are mostly pretty proud of it actually. A guy I worked with in Ontario had knee problems. One time while up there he was limping around. He said he hurt it and needed to get it operated on. I asked how long would it take to get an appointment for an operation like that. See, I has always been told that their were these long wait lists and Canadians would flock across the border for procedures that were so much better and more available in the States. He said, "Whataya mean, eh? Goin' toomorrow. Thaat's why we needed you heere t'day on this proh-ject." Then when he realized my ignorance he got somewhat offended and gave me a hard time forever-after.
No, they don't like their higher taxes, but yes, they are in general happy with the healthcare.
Some of the
frogs I worked with would actually fly back to France for major procedures. With their dual citizenship they were covered back in France, and it was cheaper to pay airfare (pre-911) than to pay their deductibles, + co-pays, etc. They loved it here, but hated the health insurance.
Now back then when I pointed this out to people they would always poo poo France's socialism, and their high unemployment rate, and their 38-hr workweek, and their 8 weeks of paid vacation (the horror!). I guess better overall health, longer lifespan, lower infant mortality and shit like that didn't matter compared to their high unemployment and their welfare state. Well France's *real* unemployment rate is better than ours now, so tell me again how we do it better than them?