[ianhowson]

> Stating this as fact

Uh, I pretty clearly stated it as personal experience.

I did overstate the 'get whatever you want' part, though. I'm making the point that in Australia, insurance is both compulsory and useless. In practice, all it offers is slightly higher priority treatment than non-insured patients should you go to hospital. Should you need a specialist, you'll usually pay them out of pocket -- insurance will (at best) cover a small percentage of the fees, and usually nothing.

> Waiting months for an appointment just so you can be told to see someone else is par for the course

This is also the case in Australia.