Public Healthcare. Is it that great?

Quebec's Ban on Private Health Insurance Is Nixed - New York Times

"The justices took a year to rule on a case that began in 1997, when George Zeliotis, an elderly Montreal man, tried to pay for hip replacement surgery rather than wait nearly a year for treatment at a public hospital."

Good for the Canadian Supreme Court!

"the universal health-care system -- while considered one of the fairest in the world -- has been plagued by long waiting lists and a lack of doctors, nurses and new equipment. Some patients wait years for surgery, MRI machines are scarce and many Canadians travel to the United States for medical treatment."

So liberals of the U.S. always point to Canada and their government funded healthcare. Is it that great? Apparently, it's illegal to pay for your own healthcare unless you're a non-resident. So great, the government pays for your healthcare, but you just have to wait a couple years to get it! That would be great to find out in 2 years that you have a cancer that could have been helped if caught early on.

But yet, "Most polls indicate Canadians support Medicare, despite the high taxes needed to fund the service, seeing it as a marker of egalitarianism and independent identity that sets their country apart from the United States, where some 45 million Americans lack health insurance."

Egalitarianism?? Haven't they heard? THE WORLD IS NOT FAIR!

I don't know about those Canadians. I have a more hands-off view of government. I think it is cruel to make people who can afford quicker medical service wait for their public service to come along a year later. As for millions of Americans lacking health insurance, well the only thing I would support the government to do is to improve public health facilities and make the more affordable healthcare systems (like county hospitals), safer and more desirable places to seek healthcare. The funds it would take to support every American's health insurance would be way to great! How about regulating insurance companies to make their plans more affordable and less limiting? I know I consider what I pay for the "what if something terrible happens to me" insurance seems like quite a lot for something I haven't had to use ever!