As a young, relatively healthy someone who has also experienced both Canadian and US healthcare, I much prefer the Canadian system. In the US, my insurance was billed 14k USD for a simple diagnostic procedure (stress echocardiogram) that normally would cost a few hundred dollars. I ended up being on the hook for over 2000 USD.

Yes, I got an appointment within a few days, and I got the cardiologist's report shortly after. But when I had a simple question about the report, my doctor suggested I book a follow-up appointment (and get charged another few hundred dollars) to get my question answered. I said no thanks - I'll take my chances and ask my friend in med school. If I knew ahead of time how much the original diagnostic would have cost, I might have had second thoughts about that as well. And while there seems to be nothing wrong with me, for other people in a similar situation that decision could end up being the difference between life and death.

I've had standard lab work done in Canada and have no complaints about the wait. But I'd take waiting a few weeks if that means no one will choose to forego life-saving diagnostics because of extortionate health care costs.