Oldgit, I disagree strongly with your opinion. Many of the European countries with better systems than ours offer a 2 - tier approach. Those who can afford it, receive immediate care, and those who cannot use the public system and still receive their care much faster then we currently do. Universality sounds good and equitable but it is costly, extremely slow for everyone, and is certainly not sustainable. From very painful experience I can tell you that current wait times for surgeries in Canada are an absolute joke. And it doesn't make me feel any better knowing that everyone else also has to wait a year for surgery.