To answer your question on whether a Canadian can call their doctor at 9am and see him by 3pm the answer is absolutely yes, I do it for myself, my husband and the kids with their paediatrician on a regular basis ( paediatrician’s office is open 7 days a week if she can’t see the child because she is not in or very busy there is always one Dr. in the office who does) and as for my family Dr. As a matter of fact if I call at 9am I usually get to see him way earlier than 3pm the same day. And yes I am an average Canadian.  And as for your other question “supplemental private coverage (if that is even an option in Canada)”.YES it is an option in Canada. It is employer based just like you guys. It covers things not in our health care system and things you don’t want to wait for, example; eye examinations up to the age of 16 it is free and glasses (other eye problems are covered by heath care system) dentist free to the age of 12 after that supplemental private coverage, periodontist, physiologist ( psychiatrist free HCS ,  massage therapist naturopath, osteopath, private speech therapist( also available in HCS for free with a wait period) podiatrist( HCS is an orthopaedist, my  daughter was born with a clubbed foot and it was corrected when she was only 1 month old by an orthopaedist free of charge)chiropractor ( HCS covers physio therapy), and care in private clinics and if you don’t want to wait for tests to be done in hospitals, cat scans, MRI, Blood tests( no wait time just go to hospital, but waiting room time  could be 1 to 3 hours free with HCS)  which have a wait period you can get them done privately within days if not the same day. X-rays (free same day usually or by appointment) medication ( HCS has a similar plan at minimal cost per year (100.00 per family) and you only pay about20% of the cost of the medicine. ETC. As for Canadian routinely going to the US for treatment is not so, a few do but not much at all. But when we have a back log for life threatening diseases, some Canadians are sent to the US for treatment but our government foots the bill not the patient.  My neighbours are American and they are thrilled to have our system. she had a baby last year and was absolutely satisfied with our system fantastic prenatal care, beautiful maternity ward he stayed at the hospital the whole 4 days , both fed housed, great nurses DRs and in his words “ and the best part was the no bill at the end “And guess what she has one whole year maternity leave!!!   No one gets left behind because they cannot pay, Now can you say that about the US?  Socialized medicine does work, take a look around look at France Switzerland and other counties even Canada we live longer, less infant deaths we are in general healthier.  Yes we do pay higher taxes, but at the end of the day it is worth it because we can just see our doctor, go to a clinic or ER and not worry about if we are covered by insurance or like 40 to 60 million Americans (more than Canada’s population) have no insurance or how much will this cost (can I still afford to eat?) it is not a perfect system but it is by far better than what the US has right now. And if Americans are smart ( and I know you are) this is a perfect opportunity is see what works and what doesn’t work  around the world and custom build a system that suits you best. Don’t let all the nay Sayers scare you. Health care for everyone should be a humane right, not a huge dollar sign for insurance companies and politicians. If you have any other question please write in and I will gladly answer them to the best of my knowledge and if I don’t know I will find out for you.