Mark Steyn shares an article from the French-language Montreal newspaper about the wait time for a basic medical treatment in single-payer Canda.

This story from Le Journal de Montréal is en français, but you don't have to know the lingo of the Continent to figure out the meaning of le mot "incontinent":

Des patients souffrant d'un problème d'incontinence grave doivent attendre jusqu'à trois ans pour une opération qui dure à peine 30 minutes.

- which means: In the Province of Quebec, patients suffering from serious incontinence - ie, they have to aller aux toilettes jusqu'à 12 fois par nuit (that's 12 times a night) - have to wait three years for a half-hour operation. That's 3 years times 365 nights times 12 trips to the bathroom.

There are only two urologists in the province who perform the operation, in part because hospital budgets are so tight they decline to buy the necessary "neurostimulator".

How do they bring down costs in a single-payer system? They ration care. Thankfully, Canadians can come to the U.S. and have the treatment done quickly -- if they've got the cash.

Imagine how many restroom stops they'll have to make if they have to drive to Mexico to get the necessary treatment.