Australia, Switzerland and Germany all deliver more timely universal care with comparable levels of spending to Canada.
universal health care
Canadians can expect to wait nearly six months from general practitioner referral to treatment by a psychiatrist.
Physicians who set their own fees determine the level of patient co-payment.
In countries with more successful universal systems, patients are free to use private clinics.
The province's median wait time between referral to a specialist and receipt of treatment was 43.3 weeks.
Dutch residents must purchase a standard insurance package from one of several private insurers.
The French health-care system features several safety nets to protect vulnerable patients.
The Canada Health Act severely limits the ability of provinces to innovate and experiment with health-care policy.
Canada ranked last among universal health-care countries for specialist appointment waits and receipt of elective surgery.