@gungasnake,
BBB was having to endure severe pain while waiting months for appointments and surgeries long before President Obama's health care reforms started to be implemented.
Interestingly, this last time for her hip surgery last month, she got rushed through with just a 3 week waiting period before surgery, 3 weeks only because that is how long it took for all the preliminary tests and evaluations to be done.
Regarding the animal in your story, most people don't opt for the surgery solution, they have their pet euthanized due to the costs.
The insurance industry includes a similar option for the humans they cover by denying coverage.