FixHealthCarePolicy

Canada Flirting with Private Medicine Option

The Los Angeles Times reports over the weekend that a network of “technically illegal” private clinics and surgical centers have started up in British Columbia and similar ones are appearing in Quebec. Canada, which has a universal, government-run health insurance system, will decide in the courts next month if these private health care systems should be sanctioned.

The centers are hoping to capitalize on patients who might otherwise go to the U.S. for faster medical services.  A typical Canadian seeking surgical or other therapeutic treatment had to wait 17.3 weeks on average in 2008, according to the Fraser Institute.

“More than 70 private health providers in British Columbia now schedule simple surgeries and tests such as MRIs with waits as short as a week or two, compared with the months it takes for a public surgical suite to become available for nonessential operations,” the article said.

Tags: Canada, government-run health care, private clinics, universal coverage, wait times