[throwaway2037]

I have heard similar complaints about UK and Canada. From a cost perspective, it makes sense to me. I also wonder: If you make people wait months, how many people skip/cancel the appointment? Probably many.

I have lived in two countries with very unfair healthcare systems. High income people get "health insurance" (whatever that term really means!) from their employer. They use it a LOT. Way too much. And their "health insurance" covers most of the cost. The number of times that I have seen high income people see a medical doctor for a runny nose (light head cold) stuns me. What an incredible waste of medical resources! As someone fortunate enough to have this "health insurance" at various times in my life, I am constantly saying "no" when doctors try to over-prescribe all manner of medicines. Obviously, they know my insurance will pay 100%!

The #1 duty of a public healthcare system absolutely must be "acute need". Everything else is second priority, else they go bankrupt. It's rough. I don't know a better solution.

Crazy idea: What if there was a kind of public auction system where people in the queue could set a price to sell their position? As long as it was fair and transparent, I might be OK with it.