Average waiting times for elective surgery:
Hip replacement - US 1 week; Canada 11 months; UK 2 years.
Gall bladder removal - US 1 week; Canada 9 months; UK 1 year.
Heart Bypass - US 10 days; Canada 1 year; UK 18 months.
The other countries regulate demand by waiting times. Many patients either go elsewhere, go private pay or die waiting.
Check this out, it’s an Australian press release touting how their wait times have fallen - the number of people waiting more than 365 days for surgery has fallen! What an improvement!
http://www.health.wa.gov.au/press/view_press.cfm?id=740
Who decides if heart bypass surgery is elective?