[866-RON-0-FEZ]

You're exactly right but it runs contrary to the narrative being spun.

A quick search reveals the best ER wait times worldwide are in the US, Germany, and Switzerland, with most the rest of western Europe dead last along with Canada and Australia.

The average ER wait time in the US is 24 minutes. In France 2h21m. Italy 2h44m.

Everyone likes to say how great Canadian healthcare is, but talk to actual Canadians and the cracks start to show, you're waiting months for a CT scan, and most need employer-provided health insurance anyway to fill gaps in coverage.

[javascriptfan69]

Yeah but could this be because people are more likely to go to ER in countries with free healthcare?

I've been to the ER in my country because of abnormal stomach pain. Obviously I was triaged and had to wait hours because it was not considered life threatening. But in the end a doctor saw me for free. I think if I were in the USA and didn't have health insurance I would have just stayed home and avoided the risk of an expensive bill.

[tavavex]

I'm Canadian, and I like our system. If you're in danger, you'll get that CT scan now. It'll take longer if your case doesn't require urgent care. But I've never waited for medical care more than what I would think was unsafe. Coverage isn't perfect, but it's getting better. I would pick this over your system any day of the week.

It also confuses me whenever Americans bring up that point to defend their profit-driven system, because to me it seems like bringing up something that's completely unrelated to money and billing just to make the other systems look worse by any means. How does a publicly-funded system intrinsically cause longer wait times? From what I can see here, it's an issue of doctor supply, caused by some of the most gruelling, limited-capacity and expensive training processes in the country, as well as purposeful underfunding by the provinces, not by how much money I pay on the way out.

Actually, maybe there is one factor in pricing that causes shorter wait times. I know it's not uncommon for people in the US to wait until they're basically dying to get medical care, because they're that averse to financial ruin. That would naturally cause somewhat lower demand, if you're okay with existing in that system with those kinds of externalities.

[rstuart4133]

> with most the rest of western Europe dead last along with Canada and Australia.

Just for completeness: I presume that is referring to government owned hospitals in Australia, which are free. There are also privately owned hospitals. I've not had to wait at a private hospital.

Private hospitals are expensive, but I suspect not as expensive as USA hospitals. The price is held in check by the alternative of "wait a little longer, and it's free".