This is BS.

I moved to Canada 18 months ago and got a Rogers SIM card that I just popped into my unlocked european phone and it worked. I eventually changed over to Fido for a better plan (no contract) and bought an unlocked phone, no worries. You can get prepaid SIM cards basically anywhere and they'll never, ever ask for the IMEI.

If you only need a cheap prepaid, I recomment Speakeasy that's sold by 7-11. Credit lasts for 1 year and you can get a nearly free phone if needed.

I do agree that the cell phone market in Canada totally sucks and blows. Bell is hell, I had the misfortune of dealing with them and they're the absolute worst company I've ever dealt with. Rogers is a pain to deal with, but they do deliver on the product in a more satisfactory way than Bell or Telus.

Now there's a thing to take into account: the sheer size of the territory. Canada's HUGE. Maps don't do justice to its immensity, only second to Russia. I would think that installing and maintaining such a huge network to cover such a small population does have a rather high cost... but that's no excuse for the ways those companies gouge us!

Switzerland doesn't have socialized medicine. Every resident of Switzerland *must* subscribe to a MANDATORY PRIVATE health insurance. While the insurance companies can't deny the basic coverage, the extra coverage (dental, care in private clinics/hospitals, etc.) is up to the insurer's whim. There are public hospitals, but they require insurance. The premiums for the basic, mandatory coverage are not indexed on revenue like in the other countries you cited, a poor family will pay the same as a billionnaire. Think $300/month per person, minimum, whether your unemployed or are making good money. If you're poor, the state will help you pay for it but you can't opt out.

Since the country is home to big pharmaceutical firms and large insurance companies, drugs are commonly priced 3 to 10 times more expensively than in neighbouring countries and, in general, health care in Switzerland is one of the world's most expensive. It is IMHO one of the most flawed system, just after the American one due to the collusion of insurance companies and pharmaceutical firms.

I don't think any health system should be designed to be profitable. Maintaining your population in good health is expensive but it's a small price to pay for a prerequisite to prosperity. Mind you, it would cost a whole lot less to have a universal health coverage in the USA than to wage war for a month in Iraq or Afghanistan.