I suppose I'd ask some people whose opinions I trust, who live in canada and use the system.
I would never dispute that someone in the US with enough money or the right insurance could have their buttocks removed and reattached to their earlobes by noon tomorrow, if they so chose.
I also sort of think that people in canada get the care they need in a timely manner. And that this doesnt stop people from whining that they had to wait.
I also believe there are more mri scanners in orange county than all of canada. Now you know why our health care costs a brazillion dollars.
The US system is clearly one of "where there's demand and money to fulfill that demand, there will be supply". And not all demand is wholesome or "money well spent". This by the way applies to virtually anything in capitalistic systems, including healthcare, illegal drugs, prostitution, you name it. Actually even the USSR (not a capitalistic system) had a decent trade in illegal drugs and prostitution, so its not just capitalistic systems, its human nature.
But is such choice so bad? Perhaps with illegal drugs and prostitutes, yes. But - who's job is it to decide what diagnostic procedures are necessary? I like to think it falls to the attending Doctor. Do Dr's in this country do "too many" diagnostic tests, in my experience the answer is firmly "yes". But when its my pancreas or my wife's thyroid that might have cancer or some disorder, honestly - I agree with my Doctor when he says "let's have a scan done, just in case". So far all negative, which is great. But someday maybe it won't be. Shall we wait then until we have significant symptomatic evidence of life threatening illness in order to do diagnostic tests? Perhaps. I said before I am NOT a fan of the elective full-body type scans, generate too much false positives. But, if I have the money and I want the test done, why not? For me personally I wouldn't do the full-body thing, there's a judgmental line somewhere, for me my Dr is the adviser of where that line lives.
Wasteful? Perhaps it is. Would I want to live somewhere that told me I can't have that level of care. No, I'd find other arrangements pretty fast.
As I said before what would be really helpful is to hear from some actual real-world Doctors on either side of the border...I highly doubt we can advance this discussion in any other way.