[ctw]

While I agree that you definitely can get treated for anything, I find it very hard to believe that you've never had to wait more than 45 minutes to be seen by someone. The past few times I've had to go to emerge I had to wait around 5-6 hours each time.

[throwawaybbqed]

That matches my experience in Canada too. Large hospital .. waited 4-6 hours in the ER (got triaged by a nurse the instant I entered). On the positive, they had a Tim Hortons in there.

GPs/specialists in the US see me instantly. In Canada, they would make me wait 45mins-hour. Waiting a bit isn't the end of the world IMO.

One time I had a pretty bad accident (in the US) .. I remember going home to pick up my damn insurance card before rushing to the ER in a cab. Of course ... despite the fact I was bleeding, the first thing the hospital attendant asked me for was my insurance.

I personally prefer the Canadian model over the US one.

[grecy]

Where are you?

I'm in Yukon, also family/friends in BC.

Maybe it's just different in the East? (like so much of Canada...)

[microcolonel]

Having unfortunately needed hospitals in Calgary, Vancouver, and Toronto; I can tell you that a 45 minute wait for anything (including scheduled appointments!) would be a near miracle. It's nice that 45 minutes is what you get in Yukon, glad it works there. :- )

I'm still waiting to be called by a specialist for something I ran out of my prescription for two months ago. They simply never scheduled what they said they would schedule. I had to call the ER one week after the fact to get them to actually fax the request to the specialist, because they neglected to; then I had to call the specialist to acknowledge the fax, and after all that I still haven't received a call from them. I ended up researching the condition and treating myself, but I could have been wrong and done more damage; pharmaceuticals could also have been a safer approach.

In Calgary waits were a bit better, only about 3 hours instead of 4-5; but I needed stitches both times I went to an ER there.

The condition of the healthcare system is not for lack of trying, my own mother worked at hospitals for most of my childhood, and I know plenty of people who work in medicine; they all seem to try their best, but the chronic lack of oversight/accountability and lack of competition means that things just continue to fester. It's frankly amazing that we've survived this long and this well without a private system.