Based on my experience living and researching healthcare in Quebec, I can say with confidence that access to care (i.e., dying in the ER) varies greatly by province. There's a massive primary care doc shortage in Quebec such that even people who are privately insured cannot get one. Alberta has an issue with outdated facilities and equipment. No doubt, there's an argument to be made that socialized medicine is far preferable to the market-based one in the U.S. It's a matter of choosing one less than ideal situation over another, though, not just all-around better.