[pxmpxm]

> Wait times definitely exist in the US as well, especially if you are waiting on a specialist, who likely isn't in your area unless you live in a big enough city.

That is simply untrue, the only thing reminiscent of "wait time" is the actual scheduling of an appointment - ie call the office and they pencil you in for next Thursday or something. Or if you actually walk into an ER with something trivial.

[troupo]

"The average wait for an appointment with a physician for new patients is 26 days, according to a 2022 survey of 15 metropolitan areas by the physician recruiting firm Merritt Hawkins. That's the longest it has been since the company began doing the survey in 2004"

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/10/30/medical-a...

That's not too bad. Until you start counting people who never get to a doctor because their insurance doesn't cover costs.

[iteria]

Getting that first appointment for a specialist can definitely have a long wait time. It took me 1 year to get in with a specialist to see my daughter diagnosed. I was was several waitlists trying to see any doctor. Granted this is the worst it'll ever be because covid caused a backlog, but I'm told by other parents they had to wait 3 months. It took me 3 months to get that first appointment with mu specialist too.

Now after I've seen that doctor once? Now I can make almost same day appointments and I have access to staff nurses for basic questions, etc. But yeah the wait for specialists can be long. It's usually not for generalist specialists. Like I saw a neurologist within a week, but the really specialized neurologist I got recommended out to was a 3 month wait.