a comparison of care
 

as part of a research paper on universal health care i need some information from various countries as well as from within the united states. i thought i would focus on the ability to attain specalized care in the field of pain management and figured that the best place to get honest answers is from patients themselves. if you have the time could you please answer the following questions
1)where do you reside
2)how long did it take for you to see a physician who could and was willing to provide adequate long term care
3)how long does it take for approval for procedures (mri, catscan, bone scan, blocks)
4)if for some reason you have to go to the emergency room for care how long does it take to go through the visit process (be taken to a bed, seen by a physician, recieve care, and head home)
5)are there a lot of options to chose from when deciding on a pain specialist
6)did you find it challenging to become a patient of a physician who was willing to provide opiods
7)have you ever traveled to a different country for care, and if so why

thanks in advance
there is a great deal of argument and confusion about the success of universal (social) healthcare in other countries and this uncertainty has a tendency to allow the government to justify the reasoning that it wont work in this country. i live in a fairly small county and a current proposal is to attempt on some level universal care.