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Is this an HMO? I signed up for one once and the delays were pretty stupid (even to get a referral to a specialist you needed to come back to see a different doctor first). I've never signed up for the HMO plan again since. With a PPO you can always pick another specialist that is available.

Meanwhile there are companies in Canada that help Canadians get their MRI's in the US because it's so slow there. And clinics near the border advertise in Canada.

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In large metro areas, even a PPO doesn’t help much. Specialists are in short supply in the US and elsewhere for various reasons.

Usually people are saying the US has too many specialists, except for certain lower-paying specialties like obgyn.

I've never had a problem with delays in large metro areas in california. I do recall hearing Boston was the worst big city to find a new doctor, supposedly due to Massachusetts' push have universal coverage.

My mom lives in the DFW area and makes $50k. Within the past 5 weeks she's gone for a routine mammogram screening, seen a specialist about a grown that thankfully was benign, and been seen by a surgeon who removed the growth to be on the safe side because my mom is considered high risk.

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