GPs/specialists in the US see me instantly. In Canada, they would make me wait 45mins-hour. Waiting a bit isn't the end of the world IMO.
One time I had a pretty bad accident (in the US) .. I remember going home to pick up my damn insurance card before rushing to the ER in a cab. Of course ... despite the fact I was bleeding, the first thing the hospital attendant asked me for was my insurance.
I personally prefer the Canadian model over the US one.
I'm in Yukon, also family/friends in BC.
Maybe it's just different in the East? (like so much of Canada...)
I'm still waiting to be called by a specialist for something I ran out of my prescription for two months ago. They simply never scheduled what they said they would schedule. I had to call the ER one week after the fact to get them to actually fax the request to the specialist, because they neglected to; then I had to call the specialist to acknowledge the fax, and after all that I still haven't received a call from them. I ended up researching the condition and treating myself, but I could have been wrong and done more damage; pharmaceuticals could also have been a safer approach.
In Calgary waits were a bit better, only about 3 hours instead of 4-5; but I needed stitches both times I went to an ER there.
The condition of the healthcare system is not for lack of trying, my own mother worked at hospitals for most of my childhood, and I know plenty of people who work in medicine; they all seem to try their best, but the chronic lack of oversight/accountability and lack of competition means that things just continue to fester. It's frankly amazing that we've survived this long and this well without a private system.