I’ve also sat in an ER, waiting to be seen while in a lot of pain or with someone in a lot of pain or with visible injury. The only time I’ve actually been triaged immediately was when I had so much blood running down my face that the nurses didn’t want me to scare others in the waiting room. This was all in Dallas at good hospitals.

I’ve waited months to be able to see a doctor. In fact, I’ve just recently seen a dermatologist after a 9-month wait. No one else had anything sooner.

I’ve learned with the US system there are a lot of hoops you have to jump through for care if you want insurance to be happy. I have to go to one or two other clinics or quick care facilities in order to get in to see the doctor that I actually need. And once I have a prescription it’s always a prior-authorization fight to actually get the meds.

And all of this, knowing that I can’t ever take a sabbatical since COBRA, on top of my monthly expenses, would be prohibitive.

So, it feels like the US system is the worst of all worlds. I’ve got the waiting and the pushback and the expense.