Why does Bernie Sanders and so many leftists lie so much about "free" healthcare?

I live in one of the European countries with "free" healthcare and was born in another.

Both countries charge insane amounts of taxes—VAT +20% and half of your income being lost in income tax and others.

Either you're rich, middle class, or poor, taxes will crush you severely for your entire life.

Adding to this, the healthcare isn't great. The waiting times are usually high, and many of the services don't have enough qualified doctors (who prefer private healthcare instead).

I know the US has many issues to fix with its healthcare, and there are great arguments to be made about it, but the "free" healthcare in Europe argument is a manifest lie, and I'm surprised so many Americans buy it.