Hank, I don't think anyone disputes that there is wait times in Canada and there is a difference in care by Province. Alberta probably has the best system. My wife's uncle is a Paramedic on B.C. Ambulance. He says the care is excellent, but of course as all Paramedics know, some hospitals are better at treating certain things then others, same down here. By comparison, your chances of surviving a heart attack in Seattle/King County isn't bad when you compare it to about zero in Detroit and New York, and only a little better in L.A.

When I was visiting my family in Alberta last week, my 9 yoa Grandson developed what appeared to be an infection in his elbow. Mom took him to the Doctor, they wanted to put him in the hospital right away, however, mom talked the Doctor into a 24 hour wait to see if the antibiotics worked at home. The Doctor reluctantly agreed. My Grandson got better and is doing great now.

Three and a half years ago I had some pain in the bottom of my chest. It got worse and I went to the emergency room. After a number of hours in the ER I was released and sent home, with the advise to go see my cardiologist, which I did. The Cardiologist set me up with a nuclear stress test a couple of weeks later. That test showed a blockage. It was another week and a half before I had an Angiogram, then almost two weeks before I had the stent. Nothing wrong with the wait time, I wasn't an emergency. But, let me tell you, after the nuclear stress test I wanted the angiogram and treatment to happen right away. I felt like a walking dead man.

Somehow people feel that having quick access to diagnostic equipment like MRIs etc., is a measure of how good a system is. It isn't, it's expensive and no one measures the outcomes. It is not unlike the 911 system in this country. Most people believe that dialing 911 and getting a cop to the scene quick has a positive impact on crime. Very untrue, but yet we continue to believe it and pay for a very expensive system where the only outcomes that are usually measured are response time. Response time has very little to do with solving a crime and catching a suspect.

Your right about the variables, but obviously down in Frisco you don't get the Canadian news on what is going on with the lower mainland in B.C., there is a full on gang war happening. Regardless, the leading cause of death in this country is Heart Disease and Cancer, not homicide and homicide rates have dropped a lot since the 90s. The chance for most Americans of dying due to homicide is extremely low, unless you are unfortunate enough to be born into the hood in Oakland.

For every sad story in Canada, you would have no problem finding one to match it down here. Both systems have their problems, but no one is denied medical treatment in Canada and Canadians live longer lives then we do. Just saying, that alone makes it worth taking a look at.