I'm not absolutely sure of the 'MRI wait time' for my neck of the woods (Connecticut) because my doctor always makes my MRI appointments in advance. I believe 5 to 7 days is average and, in one instance, I was 'squeezed in' the same day my doctor requested an MRI, so it can't be too bad.
The downside to 'socialized medicine' (government controlled) is that it inevitably stretches resources thin and removes some incentives that the free market encourages. Yes, 'everyone is covered' and never have to pay 'out-of-pocket' expenses but instead of high insurance premiums, everyone pays higher taxes for that coverage. Not much advantage there. To me, the lack of choice is a stumbling block for socialized medicine. Americans are used to having choices and certainly wouldn't like long waits for tests and dealing with overstressed doctors and medical personnel. Most American hospitals will treat anyone who presents with an injury or is clearly in some medical distress. They pass on the expense to insurance companies in the form of higher charges. Federal and state governments also pay a lot of medical bills now, via state health care programs for children, the elderly and the indigent. Charities also do their share but don't ask for or receive much credit. I believe that having government bureaucrats, in effect, running the U.S. health care system would be a disaster. Although Canada has had some success with this kind of system and some Canadians clearly like it, some do not. The fact that Canadians sometimes come to the United States for specialized care doesn't speak well of Canada's health care system. Few Americans ever feel the need to travel to another country for even specialized medical needs. Canada may have a similar family income as the U.S. but with only 10% of the U.S. population, I don't believe one can make a fair comparison of the two health care systems.
A few years ago my wife and I tried to help a young woman in our church who had mental problems and needed help, but had no money. We were able to have her admitted to a local hospital for no charge under a state program. Her medicines were also heavily discounted by a similar program. She received counseling for free, too. There is a lot of help out there but people have to be willing to look for it - and not be too proud to accept it. Even working, middle class folks, who usually don't qualify for government health care programs, can find some assistance. Many hospitals have funds allocated to aid the 'working poor'....those who don't qualify for government programs but are financially unable to pay a big hospital bill. At the least, most hospitals and doctors offices will accept monthly payments on a bill. I know, I've done it - on bills in the thousands. I was fortunate to be able to find the funds to pay these bills off far ahead of time but the entities involved were initially quite willing to accept $50. a month for as long as it took, as long as I paid it faithfully. Oh, and they usually don't charge interest on the debt. The 'secret' is to simply ask the hospital, doctor's office, whatever for a 'payment plan' and only agree to pay as much as you can reasonably afford each month so as not to become overextended. No need to go bankrupt.
No one will argue that the U.S. health care system has flaws and some folks have real problems with it at times, but no system serving 300 million + people can be flawless. Judging by how federal and state governments usually waste our tax money, I'm not enthusiastic about any government bureaucracy controlling our health care under the oh-so beguiling promise that 'everyone will be covered'. My question is: yes, but how well 'covered'? I prefer not to find out the hard way, so I'll say 'no thanks' to 'socialized medicine', as will many other Americans who don't wish to trade some inconvenience for greater problems when dealing with the health care system. However, my opinion is just that, my opinion, nothing more.
For those who don't know (I've posted this information before) I'm covered under my wife's medical benefits policy with her employer. She is on long-term disability status with her employer but still an employee (legally) receiving disability pay via a private plan she took out years ago. As such, she qualifies for medical benefits, which we partly pay for. As her spouse, I'm covered too until she reaches 65, which is a decade away. I'm not on Medicare or any government health care program.
Jim
