MEGAN MCARDLE: “Not that I in any way disbelieve them, but I am flabbergasted by the number of progressives who have to wait months to see a doctor.” Yeah, we see a lot of doctors and waiting a week is a big deal for us. The Insta-Daughter once had to wait two weeks to see a pediatric cardiologist, but there are only a couple in town. And for anything urgent it’s quite fast. Knoxville, being a university town with cheap housing, may be a bit oversupplied with doctors. But when I lived in DC I don’t remember the waits being much, and I had an HMO.

UPDATE: Reader Donald Hertzmark emails:

My ICD was implanted six days after I collapsed in my kitchen in 2005 with Sinus pause and arrhythmia (Wenkebach pause) and no diastolic blood pressure (been there, done that, got the T-shirt). The Washington Hospital center cardio unit had me in for a full day of tests five days after the collapse (there was a weekend intervening, hence the delay) with the top specialist in my particular problem. I shared a room with two uninsured patients, both of whom were receiving surgery from top cardio guys, and they were treated promptly as well. I simply do not believe these stories from the Left about medical care. In the UK they would have told me to come back in a year with a “no driving, no airplanes and no ladders” admonishment for that entire period. It is likely that part of my $29k was used to cross-subsidize the two uninsureds, but it is a lot better than waiting for a year for the hammer to drop again.

Yeah, my mother-in-law is on TennCare, and she gets in fast, too.