Thank you Ben...
As for the wait times... I can give all the anecdotes you would like. I have never had a problem with wait times. Then again, I live in Toronto and have an adundance Hospitals and clinics to visit. Go to the north. This is not the case, especially where things like MRI machines are concerned. Then again, given the population, private clinics are less inclined to set up their either as they would see little return on their investment.
Most of the complaints on wait times that I hear about have to do with elective surgeries rather than emergency surgeries (i.e. life and death). Wealthy people like to go and spend the money in clinics in the US rather than wait a couple of months. I don't think monetarily challenged US citizens could afford to do this sort of thing either so I see it as a wash.
I can tell you that my father-in-law waited no more than a few weeks to have his heart valve replaced from diagnosis to replacement. I can tell you that when I showed up in emergency with my daughter, fresh from getting her head kicked by a horse, was seen in triage within five minutes of arrival (maybe less).
I have seen people showing up with flu symptoms wait for hours in the same emergency (my advice to them is suck it up or go to a clinic... what the fuck are you doing in Emerg with flu symptoms anyway?).
I've said it before. Our system, though flawed, provides service to 100% of our population for less than the US system that doesn't even provide the same level of service (i.e. millions go without coverage).
I have never bought into the belief that private can always do something better than public. All I have to do is look at the rolling blackouts of California (I'm talking about Enron and their ilk here). There are other examples.
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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
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