In my experience it isn't.

Relative has a non-life threatening issue that affects their quality of life. Didn't know what was causing it. Had booked an appointment in Canada. Wait time 5-6 months. Came with me along to Greece for the summer this year. Within 3 weeks, they saw 3 different specialists, and did tests (and received results) that would themselves require appointments and waiting times. Within 3 weeks they had a diagnosis, and had started treatment. Ironically, by the end of week 2, they got a call from the first appointment from back home, that an opening was available on week 3.

Total cost for all doctors and tests was about 400 EUR ~ 600 CAD, because they didn't have Greek social insurance and were paying fully private rates. That's about the same as visiting one of those specialists in the private system in Quebec, if you don't want to wait 5-6 months each time.

Greece > Quebec

I chalk it up to the fact that Greece has so many doctors, that they are actually supplying western european countries (UK, Germany) with doctors leaving for better wages. At the same time Canadian doctor boards act as if they need to do everything in their power to minimize the number of doctors graduating or getting their credentials recognized each year. I mean if they actually did try it, I don't see how they could do a better job at sucking. I know stories of people who came to Canada to work in tech with a doctor spouse and they left because the doctor spouse would have to basically spend 4-6 years sucking the dick of the Ontario Board of Physicians and Surgeons to get Italian credentials accepted.

It isn't always exaggerated but generally lacks context.

Some types of surgery can have long wait times if they are non life threatening but can drastically improve quality of life which is very very frustrating.

The thing they ignore though is that most people waiting could not afford the surgery at all in a private system. Most people in Canada live very close to the border and American health care is more than willing to take their money.

It isn't perfect and we should definitely be investing more in and trying to address problems but I don't see how things like American HMOs are anything more then rent seekers.