That's the thing - if you have socialized ANYTHING, you have to make sure that it's for your citizens only (including properly vetted immigrants who have gained their citizenship, with, perhaps limited services for landed immigrants pending theirs.)

What really started to throw a fuck into our system was the Singh Decision of 1984 (made possible only because of the change in constitution a few years before). Because of that, anyone who merely sets foot on Canadian soil, regardless of anything, can claim "free" health care (despite signs one might see in hospitals/offices about foreigner fees.) Living on the border, the hospital my mom worked at saw an almost immediate uptick in Americans whose friends had dumped them in local parks for to be picked up by police (it was illegal to be in parks after about 10 PM, and the cops DID patrol), who would take them to hospital, where social services would be called because no money.)

I wouldn't say things are as bad as some detractors say it is, but it depends on where you are, I guess. The hospital here isn't exactly overcrowded (though I have seen it very busy during a 6 week stay, and the ICU is ... very noisy) and I must say that its surgeons are quite skilled. That being said, I'm glad I wasn't living in, say, Toronto.