I don't know why people think that. We could have "free" medical care in the US if our government wasn't wasting hundreds of billions of our tax dollars to keep Iraqis safe from, um, well, I'm not sure what. A friend of mine just signed a contract to go sit in a tent in Afghanistan. I think he's supposed to be training snipers, since that's his forte', but mostly he writes his book and works out. He gets $186,000 tax free dollars for doing that for the next twelve months. I don't blame him, but why do we let our government piss away our tax dollars when so many Americans can't afford good health care? You have to be poor or old to get free or inexpensive health care in the US. And it's paid for by the taxpayers, just like in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the rest of the Commonwealth. But it's not "free" by any measure.

As long as I'm already on my soapbox, might as well continue. My wife had at least ten surgeries and six visits to the ER last year, none of which actually resolved her medical issues. A new year rolls around, (new deductible and co-pays) and both of her surgeons are ready to start cutting in January. Lo and behold, she is pain-free, and has her vision back in one eye. Once she accrues a week of paid time off, she can have the vision in her other eye restored. I don't feel like we got much value for that $57k in medical procedures we had done last year, and I need a spreadsheet just to keep track of our medical expenses now. [/rant]

On the bright side, now that I've had my two surgeries, I can enjoy my Wabi Classic again.