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Denial of Care: Canada Case Study

Millions of Canadian patients are not getting the care they need from their government-controlled health care system.

• More than half of the Canadian adults (56 percent) sought routine or ongoing care in 2005 – of these, one in six said they have trouble getting routine care. ¹¹
• Over one million Canadian adults said they were unable to find a family doctor in 2003. ¹²

As wait times soar, physicians are giving up on their Canadian government-controlled health care system.

• Eighty-five percent of doctors in Canada agree private insurance for health services already covered under Medicare would result in shorter wait times.¹³
• The Canadian Medical Association has openly expressed concerns regarding patient wait times and the strain of the system on providers. ¹⁴
• Jacques Chaoulli, a Montreal doctor, launched a private, one-stop referral center for paying members. For a fee of $40, the Chaoulli Group will act as a brokerage firm to quickly match patients with family doctors and specialists, as well as diagnostic procedures and surgeries. Chaoulli says his motive is to help Quebec get rid of wait lists and reduce patients’ suffering. ¹⁵

Despite the claim of “universal coverage,” the main barrier to health care in Canada is access.

• Approximately 875,000 Canadians are on waiting lists for medical treatment. ¹⁶
• Despite a surge in spending during 2006 that represented a 5.8 percent increase from 2005 expenditures ¹⁷, wait times for patients in Canada are at an all time high. ¹⁸
• On average, Canadians have to wait: ¹⁹
  • Four weeks for access to CT scans or ultrasounds;
  • 17.8 weeks from general practitioners’ referrals to treatment by a specialist;
  • More than eight weeks for MRIs; and
  • Four or more months for surgeries deemed “elective,” such as hip replacements.
• Nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of people who said they were affected by waiting for a specialist reported that they experienced worry, anxiety and stress. As did roughly 60 percent of those who were affected by waiting for non-emergency surgery and diagnostic tests. ²⁰
• More than one-half of the people who said they were affected by waiting for non-emergency surgery and diagnostic tests reported suffering pain because of the delay. ²¹

1. ¹¹ Health Services Access Survey, 2003. 2003, first 6 months of 2005, Statistics Canada.
2. ¹² Ibid.
3. ¹³ Pollara. “Health Care in Canada Survey.” 2006
4. ¹⁴ CMA Statement in response to the Chaoulli/Zeliotis Supreme Court case ruling (June 9, 2005)
5. ¹⁵ “Doctor launches medical brokering service; Charges $40” By Charlie Fidelman Montreal Gazette (May 8,2007)
6. ¹⁶ Alexandra Shimo. “The rise of private care in Canada. All the health services money can buy.” Macleans. April 25, 2006.
7. ¹⁷ Canadian Institute for Health Information, National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975-2006 (Ottawa: CIHI, 2006).
8. ¹⁸ Esmail, Nadeem and Walker Michael. How Good Is Canadian Health Care? An International Comparison of Health Care Systems. The Fraser Institute. December 2006.
9. ¹⁹ Ibid.
10. ²⁰ Alexandra Shimo. “The rise of private care in Canada. All the health services money can buy.” Macleans. April 25, 2006.
11. ²¹ Ibid.