Have you ever been seriously ill in Canada? Unfortunately, I have.....and while our provincial health coverage covered the costs, that was the ONLY thing that was easier.
The waiting list for an MRI was more than a year long at that time, and the closest machine was more than an hour to the east of us, or more than 2 hours to the west.
The only hospital that could finally treat me was 2.5 hours from my home. Because I was having grand mal seizures, my license was automatically revoked....so now not only did I have to travel ridiculous distances, even during miserable weather, for treatment to save my life, I also had to find someone who could provide me with transportation.
During that time, I had no family doctor (and we didn't for a full five years) because there was a doctor shortage in our area.
And I had a brain tumor.
Let me assure you, there was nothing "easy" about that whole experience.
[I won't even bother to explain the differences in the treatment and hospital experience here in the US, because I can guarantee it will fall on deaf ears. What I will say is that I have PERSONALLY experienced both systems, so I know first-hand the financial and medical impact of both. Based on two major surgeries, both from a medical standpoint and the financial one, I'd take my experience here in Michigan over Ontario ANY day. That's not a "spin", that's a fact.]
Your experience is not that typical. Maybe it’s because it was so long ago. I’ve had MRIs for a non urgent issue. Only waited 2 months. My husband needed an MRI for an urgent issue and got it the next day, same when my dad needed one . The only people who need to travel long distance for MRIs are those who live far from urban centres.
I’m sorry you had such a terrible experience but it sounds like it was a long time ago and it’s not typical of what others experience. Everyone I know has received excellent care for many issues, including some serious cancers. And the best part is nobody has to go broke paying for it. Many people in the US die because they can’t access care at all.