You guys, Canada has a two tiered health system. Public and Private.
If you choose not to wait for the public system there are private options
that can be used.
Your private sector arose from a need that your public system couldn't handle. It's growing rapidly as it is in other countries with universal health, at least those countries whose government allows it.
Countries that have universal health care are discovering rationed care and long wait times and private insurance is fixing that. Here, we are fixing the private sector with more government.
IDK the answer, but maybe a universal catastrophic coverage only would drop costs. VAs could be used as a free clinic and funded from defense funds. Allowing the hospitals to turn away non-emergency patients would be a huge start, EMTALA is an awful law.