> your health care is in no way, shape, or form "free"
Are you nitpicking over the definition of the word "free" because it's taxpayer-funded? You should know that "free healthcare" is shorthand for "you are unlikely to be bankrupted by, or forced to do without, necessary treatment because your insurance is not up to snuff."
No one is nitpicking, you are just seriously incorrect. Free means to not pay for something. Saying that Health Care is free is to say that the user of Health Care does not have to pay for its cost. Health Care is never free, no matter the system in which it is provided.
Your definition of free is correct, so it's fair to briefly point out that health care is not actually free in Canada. On the other hand, everybody knows that, including the person using the word "free". So over-focusing on the word is a form of nitpicking IMHO.
People often use the word "free" to mean - I can use this service without even thinking about money.
As everyone on HN will tell you... Google and Facebook's services are not free (you're just paying in a different way) but they're commonly described as "free" services.
Colloquialisms exist. If you insist on assuming that everyone intends only the strict dictionary definitions of words, you're going to (continue to) get in silly misunderstandings.
When people say "free health care," they don't mean literally free, they mean you won't receive a bill after treatment. Maybe you don't like that usage. I don't like it when people use "literally" to mean "a whole lot." The language doesn't care what either of us likes.
Are you nitpicking over the definition of the word "free" because it's taxpayer-funded? You should know that "free healthcare" is shorthand for "you are unlikely to be bankrupted by, or forced to do without, necessary treatment because your insurance is not up to snuff."