About 15 minutes till the triage nurse. Registered after that. Basically presenting her health card and it being recorded. Then with the doctor in about another ten minutes.

We suspected she had a bladder infection. So we took a urine sample in with us. I estimate ten minutes to run it through the lab. We gave it to the triage nurse. A prescription was written.

So we probably where out of the building in perhaps 45 minutes. We used out patients and emergency rather than getting an appointment with her doctor. That would probably have taken a few days.

She had complained of a burning sensation when urinating and we felt doing it today was better. As she was going away for a few days as well. We do not reside in a big Canadian city where they took in so many immigrants that the services are flooded.

The problem with a true universal health care system. Since there is no additional cost over the premium that is hidden in your taxes. Everyone goes when they feel the need. None of this it will pass or I will see about it in a few days. Or ignore it. True abuse of the system seems minimal.

The system has been in place for more than fifty years. Everyone is covered from birth to death. We are healthier than Americans and now have a longer average lifespan. The outcomes of proceedures statistically are better here as well.

There remain delays for elective surgery. That too varies from region to region across the country.

Not to worry though. The chance of Americans ever seeing some form of a true universal health care system are almost nil. Historically Americans where only given any benefits for their tax dollars is when the power brokers where put under pressure.

The president in the depression of the 1930s told them. That if they did not give them something their own privaliged capitalistic lives might be over. Remember he also was from a very wealthy family and power broker himself. Even with that it was a hard sell to get them to go along. So the American public got social security and unemployment insurance. Would they have them today if that depression had not occurred is any ones guess.

American workers had to form unions just to get a fifteen minute lunch break. There was a lot of bloodshed in the process. If you look at the heaviest contributors to election funds. You can see who is brought and paid for.

I have noticed the American media remains silent on what other countries do for their citizens. For example if we as a couple of modest means produce offspring. We get 500.00 a month for each child. Pro rated downward if our income increases. Many countries give initial lump sums for each child. Usually 10k upward. The wife gets pregnant. Ether one of us can book off for a year with pay. Or we can split it. You get sick and burn up any sick leave. The system fills in a paycheck. There are a lot of other programs that apply only to those of low income. To the best of my knowledge no other Canadian with a reasonable mindset seems to mind they exist.