Define "work" and "universal healthcare" and we can start a debate. Because the Nkorea regime "works" too but I don't want to live there or have such a system elswhere if you see my point.

everytime this comes up and we point out how Americans will use services they would never have bothered with if they had to pay out of pocket, thus driving program costs to thirty times estimates, some European says "well of course if they abuse it"

"Doctors are in fact humans...correct me if i am wrong."
Still doesn't make me feel better when i'm told a doctor left a big metal clamp on an artery near my heart, cause he was anxious to get to his golf game or charity dinner

"The time to wait for a doctors appointment in canada is in the months while in the US you can get one within days or a week"

yeah or you never get to see a doctor at all since you cannot afford the ridiculous fees of the insurance companies.

All in all the system works in most european countries, and we have lots of abuse as well, so why won't it work in the US? i'll tell you in three words: Greedy antisocial republicans.
The only reason republicans ( and some rich democrats) are against universal healthcare is because it means higher taxes, and we all know that the rich americans go basnkrupt if they have to pay 100$ a month extra in taxes.

In summary
Universal healthcare would not reduce overall level of service, if the government, or some supervisory organisation keeps watch on the number of doctors, and their work.
Universal healthcare works in countries in western europe, and the abuse levels drop every year because of supervision and penalties on fraud
Universal healthcare will cost quite a bit of money, but overall it wouldnt be such a big deal if Obama (who is spearheading this idea) can get the taxs he needs for this idea
Universal healthcare is doomed to fail in the US not through its own fault, but because the republican scare tactics will work on an impressionable populace. I mean the people behind those adds have 6-7 figure incomes so why should they care that joe average can't even afford to go to a hospital if they're dying. Life is cheap in the US nowadays, and you can always replace them with new batches of mexicans.

"The time to wait for a doctors appointment in canada is in the months while in the US you can get one within days or a week."

What doctor's are you talking about?  If you are dumb enough to go to a hospital for a check up or sudden issue (outside of needing to go to the ER) yes you will wait weeks possibly months.  However this is why most sensible people have a family doctor.  My family doctor can usually see me within a week, or within a day if it's urgent.  There are also private clinics that can set up an appointment within days or weeks.

On the subject of abuse, sure people will abuse it, it's human nature, but there are controls you can put in place to mitigate abuse.

A two hour wait is called inefficient, poor service.

"A two hour wait is called inefficient, poor service."

Not really considering it's a private business that operates on scheduled appointments.  Would you consider it outrageous if you went to a restaurant that recommended you make reservations, and you had not, and they told you it would be a 2 hour wait until there would be an available table?  Or something a little closer to the original a dentist?

Now I can only speak for Canada but here's how our system works, I have a feeling some people don't understand what Universal Healthcare entails.  In Ontario we have OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) which covers the vast majority of medical expenses (check ups, ER, critical surgery, etc.) with a few non-crucial exceptians (dentist, orthodontist, optometrist, masseus, chiropractor, etc.).  So we pay taxes to the government and they provide us with health insurance, and even though we take care of those who don't pay taxes (a homeless man can still see a doctor as long as they have a health card) if you factor how much of what we pay in taxes goes to health care we're still paying less than the average American/year.

Now hospitals operate similar to franchise businesses where the Ministry of Health has ultimate authority over all hospitals but each hospital possesses a fair level of autonomy.  Each hospital has a budget, if they cannot operate within this budget the budget is reviewed and if it is determined the budget is unreasonable it is ammended, or if failure to work within the budget is due to irregular higher than expected volume concessions are made; both as available.  However if it is determined the budget is reasonable and failure to work within the budget is the result of poor management the hospital administrator will be required to revise their policies and practices, if this is insufficient the administrator will be replaced.

Private clinics also operate within the system they are just not authorized under law to perform certain procedures, heart transplants for example.  These clinics fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Health in that they must abide by the standards and regulations set out by the Ministry but the Ministry has no direct control over their operation.

Now I'll admit Ontario hospitals at least are woefully inefficient, many are also woefully under staffed, but consider this; under the Universal Health Care system if I were to right now require corrective surgery for a problem that would kill me in 6 months I may have to wait 5 months for the surgery, under the US system I would die in 6 months because I wouldn't be able to afford the procedure.

acupuncture is about as medical a procedure as tarot cards.. where did you get that list from?

oh add Assisted Suicide for Oregon

"Here's the really bitter medicine: That amount could go a long way toward providing health insurance for a family. With an estimated 44 million peple in America lacking health coverage, one million of them in Pennsylvania alone, you'd think inmates would be the last to receive elective procedures."

is this "skip the essential bits" reading or something?

"Dude.  Canadians that can pay, come to the US for their health care.
Doesn't that prove anything to you ??"

That proves absolutely nothing.
It's like saying that rich people buy clothes from a more expensive store... doesn't mean it's better.

Universal Healthcare works. The citizens pays for it. And so what if the budget goes up as long as it's perfect healthcare? And as long as everyone that pays there little part of it doesn't pay much at all.

Always the selfishness of every american. ME ME ME, I don't want to help anyone else. ME ME ME!

i don't think the question is if universal healthcare would be flawed (since nothing's perfect), the question is if it would be more flawed than the current system.

you wouldn't use one of the poorest examples of health care to fortify your own opinion of the matter, would you?