Question for those that have universal healthcare in their country...?

I'm from Sweden.

There can be longer waiting times for some kind of non-urguent operations, typically a knee not working properly and such things. Otherwise there aren't many flaws.

Several hospitals have their specialties, so for the exceptionally complicated, rare or risky situations you're simply transferred to the hospital with the best knowledge and experience (happened to my grandfather a couple of times and it went well). If that's what you meant by "cutting edge"?

Some obviously good things is that you don't have to worry about getting into something you can't afford. So no need to save up tons of money you'll never touch. Even better for the people who don't even have that possibility. No such thing as denying people help because they can't afford it. There is probably more, but we already got it, so I don't spend much time thinking about it.

Hope that helps.

I'm from Canada, and our universal healthcare system has a TON of flaws. Though that doesn't always make it a bad thing since we can always get health care and not worry about cost. Wait times are horrible, however our system is based on priority, so people with Cancer get bumped ahead of people with pneumonia type thing. Rural areas like where I am from have long had limited access to good efficient health care, and surgeries and seeing specialists can take take up to years no matter what your region. There have been times when my family has paid for health care at private clinics both here and in the USA in order to figure out issues quicker. Cutting edge technologies and surgeries can be found here in Canada but the USA always has the BEST if you have the money.

Another problem with our healthcare system is the fact that in my province (Ontario) eye care is now only covered to 18 then over 65, drugs are not covered, chiropractic care is no longer covered, among many other things and our taxes didn't go down when they cut certain coverage. Most people were not impressed.

I personally believe in a two tiered system of private and public healthcare to improve the efficiancy of our system. It was amazing when if first came out now our health care system here in Canada isn't even close to being the envy of the world it once was.

I have a friend in Saskatchewan whose father has had chronic pain in his hip for almost a year. He has been placed on opioids and muscle relaxants for the entire time, and his doctor told him if it was still a problem after one year he would get a hip replacement. He is actually really pissed because he paid into the system his entire life and the one time he actually needed it they bailed on him. Now, he needs the hip, he is addicted to hydromorphone, and following his hip replacement will have to spend two weeks in addiction rehab.