[nickv]

How many Americans do you think get to go and get their cancer treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering?

The US private health care system doesn't mean everyone who gets cancer goes to MD Anderson. And, you'd still be very hard pressed to have many private insurance plans cover truly experimental treatments. If I had to choose who gets advanced treatments between those who can pay the most vs those who need it the most I'd go with the latter.

It's funny, many of my Canadian friends talk about the "you can't get the best treatment in the world" problem with their system which, to me, shows how they really don't understand the dire nature of US health care. Wait a year for a surgery? Millions of Americans can only go to emergency rooms.

[refurb]

I'm not arguing that people in the US don't get care, I'm arguing that if you want to cut healthcare spending in the US (to match other countries) people will have to get used to a lower level of healthcare.

[nickv]

I don't understand what you mean there. I think you underestimate the administrative costs alone of the US' hodgepodge system (an entire floor at UCSF is devoted to insurance processing, how many floors does UBC have for billing?)

The US health care system even for the middle class is a disaster. Deductibles are often nearly 8k or higher alone! And nearly ALL plans have "networks" so you can't go to whatever doctor you want anyway. (One of my canadian friends doesnt even know what a deductible is!)

You realize there are nearly as many Americans without any insurance as there are people in Canada (27M vs 34M)? And this was AFTER the ACA expansion.

I get trying to post an alternative view, but it's so out of wack. Have you experienced the US health care system for an extended period of time personally? It sounds like you haven't.

[refurb]

I lived in the US for almost a decade, so I've experienced both systems.

My point is that the US system has problems and the Canadian system has problems. Hell, the Canadian Supreme Court ruled that healthcare wait times combined with a ban on private care violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms[1].

There are numerous examples of Canadians either suffering in pain or heading to the US for surgery due to wait times.[2]

Bennett was referred for surgery on her right hip in November of 2013 and said she’s been told she won’t get in until early in 2016. She said her joint has deteriorated so much she is unable to work or even function without strong narcotic painkillers.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaoulli_v_Quebec_(AG) [2]http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/patients-live...