John H wrote:
Surely Americans wouldn't find themselves in the same predicament if *we* had
socialized medicine!

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/in...html?th&emc=th

[Extract]
" But in recent years patients have been forced to wait longer for diagnostic
tests and elective surgery, while the wealthy and well connected either sought
care in the United States or used influence to jump medical lines.

The court ruled that the waiting lists had become so long that they violated
patients' "life and personal security, inviolability and freedom" under the
Quebec charter of human rights and freedoms, which covers about one-quarter of
Canada's population.

"The evidence in this case shows that delays in the public health care system
are widespread, and that, in some serious cases, patients die as a result of
waiting lists for public health care," the Supreme Court ruled. "In sum, the
prohibition on obtaining private health insurance is not constitutional where
the public system fails to deliver reasonable services."
--
John H

Yes, it would be a perfect system if they also allowed private
practice. That way, people would have a choice, either pay a private
practice doctor a thousand dollars for a bandage, or not.