"Free" health care doesn t exist, there is no such thing as a free lunch somebody is paying for it.

It is because of this 'free health care" belief that certain european countries have a huge public deficit:
"oh my head aches, should I go the doctor?
Sure why not Its FREE!!!"
or
" I just worked for 6 months, now I m going to resign and collect unemployement: after all I paid for it. I pay tax for 6 months and get it back the following 6."
Result: billions of euros of public deficit.
When you are in a system where you get more money by sitting on your butt (thru completely free health care, free public transportation, free food at school for your kids, food stamps, etc....) at home than working a low salary job, then you know the system is flawed.
Who do you think pays for all that? In France, a portion of the population (the middle class for the most part) pays as much as 45-50% of tax (thru income tax,VAT,RDS (reimbursment of social debt), expensive oil,etc...)
The government feels so much pressure due the to public deficit that it gets very creative when it comes to inventing new taxes.
the latest project is the "PICNIC tax":
to tax non-recyclable throwaway plates and cutlery. The tax would apply to non-recyclable cardboard but not plastic tableware.

don t get me wrong, I don t think getting help from the government is bad, it s good if your situation really justifies it. However, it s a mistake to think it s all free, IMO.

Italy, like France, has a "free health care system"
In 2007, the cost of "free" health care was over 400 billion Euros to the French citizens.

So who says health care is free?
:O