Healthcare is not technically "free" here. Healthcare premiums are paid, by one's employer if they have benefit coverage, by oneself if there is no coverage or by government subsidies if one can't afford to pay premiums. This is sort of like insurance, you ( or your employer) pay an amount every three months and your healthcare costs are covered. For instance, I am having an ultrasound in two weeks, but it is free to me because I have health care coverage from work.
Prescriptions drugs are not covered through health care premiums. Most employers will include drug costs in their benefits package and there are private companies which will also do this, for a monthly fee, of course. This means that if you are not employed by a company that pays drug benefits, and cannot afford to have a private company cover you, you have to pay for prescriptions yourself.
So, really the up-side is that anyone can become suddenly ill and have to go in hospital and not worry about racking up huge hospital bills. Even if they have no drug or health coverage, there are great subsidy programs in place to help pay for services. Taxpayers foot a good deal of the bill - because the jist is equal coverage for all.
Being a doctor in Canada is a very well-paid profession, but it's the same as anywhere in that specialist get more cash than GPs.
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What's bred in the bone will not out of the flesh.