I have lived here all of my life, and have lived and visited from one end of the country to another, and I have never ever met anyone who has paid for private insurance- other than what I described earlier. (drugs, glasses, massages & chiropractic) As for getting an MRI for a shoulder injury- yes I could see that- if you lived in Iqaluit or Nunavut! But even then, if it is warranted, in remote areas they fly you out for medical reasons. But how many people really live in isolated places where there are no roads, except in the winter when you go over the ice?? If they don't have roads- ummm guess what? they probably won't have any MRI's.
I have had 2 MRI's in my life and both times were done within a week of needing one. (one was that day) Our Dr.'s get paid for the number of patients they see. For many clinics, the community pays for the Dr. to set up practice, and pays for necessary equipment, and in some places, housing. This helps alleviate alot of the set-up costs for new Dr.'s that have student loans. Again, I know our system isn't perfect, there are lots of flaws, but getting sick is out of our control, and the last thing somebody wants to worry about is finances when a loved one is injured. Getting better should be the only concern. 
