I'm glad that you had good experiences, but I don't share it.
I don't like to live in 'unknown' or pain for months just because generalist thinks it 'not life threatening'. Of course my ankle pain was 'life threatening' - it's degraded my quality of life every day.
Then why didn't you pay to get in sooner? The option is available.
The argument here is about whether socialized medicine is better than the horror show that passes for medical care in the US. I contend some small delays on non-life-threatening procedures is worth never having to worry about having to pay for it or risking bankruptcy.
The point is, the system works. I never have to really worry about healthcare or its costs.