The trade-offs with these other systems are real. They are much better about ensuring basic primary care needs are met, but they do worse on a number of indicators of tertiary care. In addition, funding for these systems has been dodgy in areas and created a number of secondary markets.

Using the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries data, regional comparisons between the United States and Canada revealed worse outcomes for breast, prostate, colon, and other cancers in the Canadian system. In addition, the group noted that in some provinces Canadians can wait up to 10 weeks longer than they would in the United States for radiation therapy.

A few years ago data was also reported that suggested 6 in 10 British women diagnosed with breast cancer would be alive after 5 years, compared to nearly 8 in 10 in the United States and that only 15 to 30 percent of British patients with small-cell lung cancer will survive for two years, compared with 40 to 50 percent in the US.

These are just isolated disease process, but I think you get the idea. There is no free ride & I just don't think we're going to be as willing to give up some of the expectations for access to specialized treatments and treatment on demand that we've become accustomed to.

From The Daily Telegraph