A couple of points about the Canadian system:
in canada health insurance does not cover the cost of prescriptions so canadians pay full boat, even when insured
Every Canadian is "insured" as he or she is covered by Canada's single payer system for health care. This includes drugs required while in hospital and drugs for seniors. It is true that drugs are not yet covered outside of hospital but it appears that the Canadian system will eventually add Pharmacare as well. In the meantime most working Canadians are covered by a company drug plan.
As you note, the biggest complaint in Canada is wait times for elective surgery. The Federal gov't has just significantly increased the amount it spends on Health care and the provinces have vowed to address waiting times. However, until standardized methods are put in place for measuring and reporting waiting times the problem will remain.
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