To privatize or not?

Everybody agrees that health care needs fixing, but I find myself now in something of two minds about how I feel about how it should be done. I admire Jack Layton for sticking to his guns ( non Canadian readers can find background behind the cut )

, and the part of me that has nearly always voted NDP wants to say "public health care for all! No privatization!" But I need a hip replacement. And at the moment I'm faced with probably waiting 18 months to two years unless I spend $20,000 and go to the US or somewhat less but go to India... And I don't have the option, as things stand right now of "going the private." It is literally against the law for me to pay a surgeon up front and get my operation sooner. But I suppose that's always the way, isn't it? It's easy to be idealistic until something like this comes up and hits you, and good old capitalism would make my own life a lot easier and pain free a lot more quickly. But then, I suppose I do have the option of going to the US, or India, and someone who isn't at my income level wouldn't have that...