>You really picked the wrong category when you picked heart transplants, but you are otherwise correct that wait lists are a problem for the majority of medical services in Canada. And people with the means **do** go to the U.S. for many many procedures.

Keep in mind that 60 Minutes and other TV news shows will show the handful of exceptions to the norm.

>
>On the other hand, I look at my own experience with a kidney transplant comapered to what I've seen recently on U.S. TV (60 Minutes et. al.).
>My transplant (cadaveric, so I gues some costs were saved there) cost me around $12.00, that being the cost of renting a TV while I was in the hospital. TOTAL!
>Now in the U.S. the kidney itself is free (as it is here). But to get a transplant operation there, according to 2 different programs I saw, it takes insurance coverage with the operation pre-cleared OR smacking down $125,000 cash, in advance TO GET ON THE LIST! I would have had to stay permanently on dialysis in that situation!
>
>cheers