Now, I have insurance and paid a bit here and there out of pocket, but waiting for care is one thing I didn't do. I think that may be key. I had insurance and

Now, I have insurance and paid a bit here and there out of pocket, but waiting for care is one thing I didn't do. I think that may be key. I had insurance and appendicitis, and waited around 12 hours before surgery, but my brother was in a car accident without insurance, and was almost sent home. Luckily, a family member who is a nurse caused enough of a storm that he received the proper care. Not having insurance is what really skews the statistics in the U.S. Cook County hospital is an example of a hospital which provides care for the uninsured, and the wait times are significant. I haven't seen it, but I'd be interested to see the statistics on health care in the United States for the uninsured versus the insured: Wait times, costs, quality of care, quality of life, and life span.