Do you know anyone who lives in Scandinavia? And, beyond anecdotes, have you looked at any actual studies or statistics?
I don't think every public health system is well run, but I think the better ones are better-run than the US, and lead to much greater peace of mind, because I don't have to worry if I'm covered or not--- I know I am. The total expenditures are actually lower, too, because the U.S. spends a lot of money on public healthcare, just very inefficiently. Perhaps I'm part of some evil conspiracy to lie about how I like living in Denmark, but the numbers seem to back me up. There's plenty of other things I'll be happy to complain about about Denmark and Danish culture, too, but the healthcare system isn't one of them.
I don't think I've been treated well in the US healthcare system, in any case, and there were long wait times and subpar equipment. I also had to change doctors when I changed jobs, something that Denmark doesn't require me to do. And I had to spend a lot of time on the phone with insurance companies, who seemed to always make mistakes and miscode things; anyone who thinks governments are bureaucratic hasn't tried to deal with a large corporation's phone tree.
But I suspect you are putting ideology above any actual interest in rationally evaluating different healthcare systems based on evidence.
Since we're comparing anecdotes, friend #1 went to Thailand for eye surgery ($5k vs a gajillion dollars), friend #2 went to India for Lasik (sic?).
Yes, like all other systems, universal health care has problems. Canada definitely has a shortage of specialists in rural areas.
So what? The USA has plenty of shortages.
If you desire "honesty" in a policy debate, I encourage you to start with the widely published, thoroughly vetted, and oft cited comparative studies. If you're feeling very daring indeed, and want to learn something, you could start with google.
1) long wait times for any major surgery 2) sub-par equipment/hospitals 3) elderly patients don't get treated as well as they should
Nearly all of them come over to the US and pay for major surgery.
I also find it strange that in any of these discussions, nobody that lives under universal health care will talk about the bad things.
Without this sort of honesty, I will never want a public system in the US.