Those who defend the status quo in the Canadian health care system often point to the United States — particularly its high costs and number of uninsured — as a boogeyman to shut down any conversation about even modest change in Canadian health care.
But here are some cold, hard facts that defenders of the status quo don’t want you to hear.
In the span of just 12 months, from April 2023 to March 2024, at least 15,474 Canadian patients died while waiting for surgeries or diagnostic scans, according to the think tank SecondStreet.org.
According to researchers Colin Craig and Harrison Fleming, that number is likely much higher, as several Canadian provinces only provided data on patients who died waiting for surgery, not diagnostic scans.
Long wait times are also costing the economy billions. In 2024, Canadian patients lost $5.2 billion in wages because they were stuck waiting for surgery or treatment, according to the Fraser Institute. Nearly 1.6 million Canadians were waiting for treatment last year, costing households, businesses, and governments much-needed revenue. The average wait time for Canadian patients between seeing a specialist and receiving treatment was a staggering 15 weeks.
Defenders of the status quo often argue that Canada’s health-care system is underperforming simply because governments are not spending enough money.
Does that claim hold water?
The clear answer is no.
Canada’s current problems are not the result of insufficient funding. Over the past 30 years, health care spending in Canada has increased at more than double the rate of inflation. Yet wait times are longer than ever, and the number of Canadians dying on waitlists continues to grow. According to the Consumer Choice Center, Canada is one of the highest spenders on health care among OECD countries, yet it has some of the fewest physicians, hospital beds, CT scanners, and MRI machines per capita.
If throwing more money at the Canadian health care system were the solution, the problem would have been solved long ago.
High spending has not gotten Canada anywhere.
So, what should Canada do?
It’s time to allow more flexibility within the health care system. Countries like Germany and the Netherlands have universal health care systems, but they spend less per capita and have shorter wait times.
They achieve this by allowing patients to shop around for the doctor and insurance plan that best suit their needs.
The key is empowering patients with choice.
The Netherlands, for example, has a strong track record of delivering better patient outcomes than Canada at a lower cost.
The Dutch system requires citizens to purchase a basic level of health insurance, with services funded through a combination of tax dollars and individual premiums. This model gives more power to patients by allowing them to seek out different options and choose the provider that works best for them.
As is typically the case when market forces come into play, patient choice fosters competition and helps lower costs.
It’s time to offer Canadians more options, instead of higher taxes to fund a system that continues to fall short. Canadians should not accept a status quo where thousands die on waitlists and billions in economic activity are lost each year.
Policymakers should promote more competition in the Canadian health care system and explore alternative delivery models that have succeeded elsewhere.
Finally, we should not fear adopting best practices from other countries. Rather than always pointing to the boogeyman down south, it’s time to learn from the successes of nations with hybrid health care models around the world.
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