In the US I’ve had to wait just as long, I had a broken arm and was required to wait like 8+ hours to even get x-rays. The absurd wait times for health care are not any better with private health care. I’d say they are substantially worse because you wait just as long AND have an unknowable bill every time you go to the doctor. I routinely am quoted prices, pay them upfront, and then sent a bill for more after (all but one dentist I’ve seen has done this sometimes doubling the costs).

TLDR; The US system isn’t “free” and it is still shit.