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Frequently Asked Questions :
Q. What
will be the effect of the recent Supreme Court of Canada decision
in the Chaoulli-Zeliotis case?
A. This will result in a dramatic change in the way
healthcare is delivered in Canada. As is evidenced by experiences in
Sweden, Germany, Holland, France, Belgium and other social democracies
that have universal healthcare systems, waiting lists will drop dramatically
and access to healthcare for all will be improved.
Q. How will this help the public
system?
A. Experience in such countries confirms that the
infusion of new funds into the health system, combined with the introduction
of competition and elimination of a monopolistic supplier of services,
reduces waits in the public system to medically acceptable levels.
Q. How much new funding will
be added to the delivery of health services?
A. Based on experience in other countries, it appears
likely that between $12 billion and $45 billion dollars a year in non
tax investment will be added to the current $130 billion dollar system.
Q. When did the Canada Health
Act come into being?
A. 1984.
Q. Why are many services, including
some dental and eye treatments not considered medically necessary for
the overall health of a person?
A. The Canada Health Act is federal. However, each
province is allowed to decide what is considered 'medically required'.
Q. Can foreigners gain immediate
access to the private insurance and healthcare in Canada?
A. Yes.
Q. How do wait lists in Canada
compare, on a cost and efficiency basis with other countries that have
universal healthcare?
A. Canada's health system is one of the most expensive
ones in the world. The World Health Organization ranks us 30th in efficiency
and 18th in access amongst the OECD countries.
Q. Is more government funding
a solution for Canada's health care system and the long wait lists?
A. Strangely, Canada is the only country in which
waiting lists increase as more funding is supplied. An OECD study showed
that for every $100 of increased funding per capita, wait lists in
Canada increased by a week, while they decreased by a week in other
countries. Our opinion is that an inherently inefficient monopolistic
system, unique to Canada, is responsible for this statistic.
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