A recent story out of New Brunswick shows the risks of expanding for‑pay care in Canada: after spending more than $30,000 for private hip surgery in Montreal, a patient returned home with a serious complication, only to find himself stuck between the private clinic that treated him and a public system unable to provide follow‑up care.
Across the country, many of us are watching the situation in Alberta with deep concern. The government’s proposal to expand private health care is being framed as a way to improve access, yet it relies on shifting more costs onto patients and creating a parallel, pay‑for‑service pathway.
We know from experience and evidence that this approach doesn’t strengthen the system, it strains it. When patients face extra fees or private insurance begins covering services already included in public health care, inequities grow, staff and resources are pulled from the public system and overall spending goes up.
After consulting more than 10,000 physicians, other health professionals and patients on the balance of public and private care, the message was clear: the majority want a strong, reliable public system. We know how to get there, including by expanding team‑based primary care, training and licensing more doctors and other health professionals, and using technology to make care more efficient. These are proven, practical solutions, and they’re within our reach.
These concerns — and solutions — were central to my remarks at a press conference on Parliament Hill earlier this month and at the recent Broadbent Institute Progress Summit. I’ll be sharing the same message at policy conferences across the political spectrum this spring.
This month, the CMA is also launching a letter‑writing campaign to MPs opposing new co-payments under the Interim Federal Health Program. It’s another opportunity to stand up for public health care based on need, not ability to pay — I encourage you to add your voice.
