The American system is pretty messed up compared to the rest of the world, but I think the elephant in the room is that if you are insured and have money to spe

The American system is pretty messed up compared to the rest of the world, but I think the elephant in the room is that if you are insured and have money to spend, I think the American system is better just because you have more options and can see specialists quicker. I broke my ankle in a really bad way rock climbing two years ago. When I first broke it, my health insurance was Kaiser, an HMO, which is a decent example of how a government healthcare system might look like in other parts of the world (you cannot just go see a specialist and everything is controlled by referrals). I had major trauma in my ankle that required surgery, but Kaiser won't even let me see an orthopedic surgeon. Their policy was that since it was foot injury, I would only be able to see a Podiatrist, and I had no choice in that matter since I had no control over which kind of specialist I could or coudn't see. When I talked to my orthopedic surgeon friend about this referral to a Podiatrist, they thought it was crazy. I went to see that Podiatrist and they basically told me that my ankle was screwed, there was not much they could do for me, and that I will spend the rest of my life in pain. I think in another country like Canada or Britain, that would probably be the end of the story. I am pretty young, so I didn't want to give up just yet. I went and got a second, third, fourth, etc... opinion from other doctors, just paying in cash outside of my insurance. Eventually, I switched insurances to a PPO plan (just a regular Obamacare plan) and found my way to The Steadman Clinic in Vail, which is where a lot of pro sports players get orthopedic surgery. There, a surgeon recommended a procedure where they use stem cells during the surgery to rebuild dead tissue. I was able to have that procedure. Two years later, my ankle is still pretty messed up, so I went to that doctor again, and he recommended a third surgery to clean up a bunch of dead tissue. From the time when I decided to see the doctor again to the time I had the surgery was 1.5 weeks! All this is a great example of why the US system is bad overall, but actually good for the patient if you have money. I have seen like 10 orthopedic surgeons for this injury and have had 3 surgeries, all because I was motivated to try to get better and to try all options. I don't think I would have gotten nearly that much or that good of care under a government plan. The amazing thing about the US system is that if you have money, and you want to try stuff, you just can! There is noone telling you otherwise.