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Notes -
The Canadian system absolutely has problems with insufficient resources, long wait times, and rationing, however that kind of wait time in the ED specifically can happen in the US pretty easily.
I imagine this exact case would have gone differently but it is pretty common to sit in the ED for a very, very extended time with nothing visibly happening to you. Here the primary driver is over utilization (people refusing to go their PCP instead or not having a PCP).
A bit different but the most alarming example is behavioral health, especially for kids (although this bit is shortage related). It's not uncommon for an ER to have one kid who has been boarded in the ED for weeks to a month waiting for a bed at a psychiatric facility. For adults it's often days to weeks.
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