Everyone know that monopolies are bad when they are run by businesses, but many don't realize that government monopolies will result in the same bad outcome.
These long waiting times are due to the government run nature of healthcare. Obama complained that we Americans pay much more for healthcare than other countries. But the real question is what do you get for that cost? Is it all for nothing? No. We actually have enough MRI machines to meet demand. There isn't a 6 week wait for an MRI in the US. It's unheard of. But MRI machines aren't free.
What's the downside of waiting? Perhaps the difference between stage one and stage four cancer.
Daily Mail: Thousands more patients are facing lengthy delays for vital tests to diagnose cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
Nearly 16,000 people a month are now forced to wait more than six weeks for ultrasounds, CT scans and various hospital checks, a four-fold rise compared with this time last year.
Last month’s Department of Health figures show that 15,929 patients were waiting longer than six weeks for one of 15 tests used to diagnose cancer, heart problems, dementia and osteoporosis, compared with 3,495 for the same period in 2010.
The number includes 2,152 who waited more than six weeks for an MRI scan, commonly used to diagnose cancer, strokes, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, compared with 374 the previous year, nearly a six-fold increase...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2011911/Hospital-waiting-times-Scrapping-targets-leaves-16-000-waiting-weeks-key-tests.html#ixzz1RR1d6IgM
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