Comment by pessimizer

> Single-payer systems also have to constrain costs, so its not clear that they would actually cover a procedure like this,

I wouldn't think they would, but the existence of a single-payer system didn't prevent research on this.

> Single-payer systems are actually rarely actually single-payer.

What you mean in this case is purely single-payer. Paying for things that are outside of normal health care, like fancy private rooms or plastic surgery don't seem like they would have a negative effect. Getting quick access to a specialist seems problematic, though, but maybe the quick access to a specialist means ability to quickly consult with a foreign specialist; there's not a lot of detail there.