It would be, but I pay through my nose in taxes for that system to be extra shitty. I'm not gonna sit here and say the US is better or worse because it's subjective. If you make good money to pay for good insurance or have a good job and / or employer who gives good benefits, it is undoubtedly better, low wait times good service. But if you're in the opposite group, which usually needs a good system more so than the better off people because of obvious dietary and time advantages they have to take better care of their health, than it's a disaster of system, die in waiting rooms like we do. That's all to say that we can pay for private insurance which compares to the prices in the states and pay a lot via taxes, which I can't because I can't afford both or "live" cough cough with a system that is just terrible. But to be clear, by no means is this a pissing contest, I feel your pain.

Not true. Last time I needed a scan, I got it in about a week.

You might be right, but I think it's this way because most people don't have any real idea how either system "works." Haha, that's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one. One system is set up to be dependent on good income for good insurance or good employer with benefits but has massive government wastage, which could easily fund a better medical system for lower income people. The other depends on taxes for the funding but has the same government wastage problems and massive incompetency in getting good people into the medical field.(ex: limiting number of doctors or nurses that can graduate)