[betaby]

'was scheduled out two months' - that's in fact a very long wait. Again, speaking about Montreal, I was able to see a specialist for 'problem A' in about two months as well, while had to wait for another 'specialist B' for a year+. I find those times just horrible.

[nasalgoat]

For my particular issue I wasn't too put out. If I had wanted faster service I probably could have paid out of pocket to get it.

The point is, the system works. I never have to really worry about healthcare or its costs.

[betaby]

I'm glad that you had good experiences, but I don't share it. I don't like to live in 'unknown' or pain for months just because generalist thinks it 'not life threatening'. Of course my ankle pain was 'life threatening' - it's degraded my quality of life every day.

[nasalgoat]

Then why didn't you pay to get in sooner? The option is available.

The argument here is about whether socialized medicine is better than the horror show that passes for medical care in the US. I contend some small delays on non-life-threatening procedures is worth never having to worry about having to pay for it or risking bankruptcy.