Most Canadians fear for health system: report card

The associate director of the Health Policy Research Centre says significant reform is needed and the government should emulate the health care systems of countries like Switzerland or the Netherlands to improve Canadian health care.

Canada AM: Dr. Anne Doig, Canadian Medical Assoc.

The president of the CMA says the most surprising findings of a new survey are that Canadians are aware of the issues facing the medical system as the 'silver tsunami' approaches.

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A man poses with his prescription drugs at his home. (AP / Wilfredo Lee)

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CMA: 10th Annual National Report Card on Health Care

CTV.ca News Staff

Date: Mon. Aug. 23 2010 9:04 PM ET

Most Canadians are concerned about the future of health care in this country, finds a new report card from the Canadian Medical Association.

The survey found 80 per cent of Canadians worry that the quality of health care will decline in the next two to three years. They also fear the strain of aging baby boomers will be too much for the system to handle.

Another three-quarters of people are worried they won't be offered the same level of health coverage that they once did as baby boomers start to retire.

Dr. Anne Doig, the outgoing president of the CMA, calls the survey results "a refreshing acknowledgement of reality."

"Canadians are aware that there are issues and concerns that they must address," Doig told CTV's Canada AM from Niagara Falls, Ont., where the CMA is holding its annual meeting.

She says Canadians are right to be concerned about the future of their health care, because if the status quo remains, the imminent "silver tsunami" of aging baby boomers could badly strain the health system.

"It's true if we do nothing, then there will be a major crisis coming at us," Doig said, adding: "We have the opportunity to plan for that crisis and to do something to prevent it from becoming a crisis."

Doig noted that baby boomers are now in their 60s and will soon face the diseases of aging.

"We have to recognize that there is a population bulge – and it's my age group – that is going to live at least another 25 or 30 years. They're very healthy people now. But as we get older, we get frailer and we get sicker, and those needs will need to be met," she said.

"The generation behind us is a smaller group of people, so that means strain on the workforce and a strain on the economy."

The survey, conducted by Ipsos Reid, found that along with concerns over the quality of health care, Canadians are also concerned about how the country will pay for increasingly expensive health-care services.

The survey found 76 per cent of Canadians are worried they will have to pay more taxes so the health system can provide services to the baby boom generation.

About 73 per cent fear they won't have enough money to maintain their own health as they age -- topping concerns over being able to afford retirement (68 per cent) and losing a job (38 per cent).

The bulk of Canadians polled believe governments need to step up to bring about change. Some 85 per cent agreed that challenges brought on by the aging population signal that the time has come for federal, provincial and territorial governments to negotiate a new health-care funding agreement.

While those surveyed are clearly concerned over health care's future, the report found little change in public views concerning access and government handling of the health system.

In this year's report card, 75 per cent of Canadians gave an A or B grade for quality of health-care services available, versus 74 per cent in 2009.

A full 41 per cent assigned the federal government either an "A" or "B" grade on its performance, compared to 40 per cent in 2009. The same percentage of Canadians gave their provincial governments either an A or B grade, compared to 42 per cent last year.

The CMA cautions that the "similarly middling grades" for both Ottawa and the provinces translates into uncertainty among Canadians concerning whether health-care services will improve or worsen in their communities over the next two or three years.

The report found 35 per cent of respondents believed services would get better, while 51 per cent said they would get worse.

Every year since 2001, the Canadian Medical Association has asked Ipsos Reid to measure public opinion on the viability of the Canadian health care system. The poll, conducted completely online, surveyed 3,483 Canadian adults in June. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.66 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

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Tony
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I fear for the health system because we have a Conservative government...that's why i fear!!!!

JB in Ontario
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Canadians have been proud of our Healthcare system for a long time. It would be sad to see it deteriorate with our aging population. Healthcare is something Canada is known around the world for! Save quality Healthcare in Canada for all Canadians!

Kevin
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We likely wouldn't need to increase funding for healthcare if our federal and provincial governments just managed to close all the loopholes that are open to abusers. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are holding healthcare cards from Canada - and they use them. If our governments can't protect our healthcare system from abuses by foreigners, I surely don't see why we should entrust them with buying $16 Billion worth of fighter jets to supposedly do the same.

Jaid in Toronto
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The big concern here is the ideology being followed. Work hard versus work smart. In this day and age with our baby boomers retiring, we are left with a smaller population and thus a larger work load. You can't work hard in a population that is not growing, you have to work smart. The sooner we realize this, the easier it will be to think "micro" rather than "macro."

Justin
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As someone mentioned already, the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's, that is tax payers, money. Several European countries have started to acknowledge that universal healthcare, while in theory a great idea, is not sustainable. I think it's time we consider introducing a semi-private healthcare system.

Sara
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Just reading all these comments proves to me just how powerful these medical associations are. They have you all blaming each other for the mess instead of looking at them as the real culprits in all of this. Well Done! Not hard to see why all the political parties have incredible difficulty with this file. Human beings are afraid to die. How many times have you seen commercials put on TV - if you have these symptoms come to the nearest emergency!! It's called fear mongering - and with most of the population not being educated on the subject - it works. If you go to a surgeon to have a medical condition addressed it will be resolved by the surgeon doing what he/she does best. SURGERY!! They are surgeons - thats what they do and that's where they make thier money. I would very much like to see how many unneccessary surgeries have been done in this country in the last year alone and then all the complications that came as a result of it. Lets tally that up shall we? Billions of dollars put into research to come up with medical guidelines on best practices in any given field - only to be ignored because the surgeons don't have to follow them. They make more money by ignoring them. Mri's, CT scans, and many more tests being done for symptoms that for the most part can't be diagnosed using these techniques. How many diagnostic tests have been done in this country in the last year yeilding NO Diagnosis? Tally that up. Most illnesses can be dealt with by using exercise, releiving stress, eating right and getting enough sleep. If after a few months of that you still have a problem - then see a doctor.

Sara
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The health care system itself is what is responsible for its own destruction. There is no outside agency policing this group. They police themselves. There is so much waste in this system. 85% of total health dollars go into salaries alone. Governments of all stripes know where the problem is. They can't fix it because the medical health associations in this country are too powerful. They want more and more money to do less and less. They deteriorate the health care system when they don't get what they want - make patients suffer - then go screaming publicly the government is to blame - then there in a battle for their political lives. Doctors are not gods and they don't have magic wands. The vast majority of illnesses can only be managed not cured. This is done through drugs. The major drug stores are now offering doctors free rent if they open a practice in a building with their drugstore in it. Lowers their overhead costs three fold so they jump at it. Healthcare is nothing more than a big business making a lot of money at the taxpayers expense. Billions of dollars are spent on useless research studies every year. There is no real control over it at all. Doctors in offices can't fix the vast amount of things that go wrong with you. Once a medication has been prescribed for long term use then it is the pharmacists that should take over from there. How much money is spent going to a doctors office for a renewal? Nothing more than a make money project for them. Politicians have got to stop being intimidated by these medical associations and do a full blown out audit from one end to the other to resolve this problem.

Colleen in BC
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Wow. Big surprise. Everyone - especially the health professionals and government leaders, should have been well aware of this for decades. I believe we need to manage the resources we have more effectively, rather than throwing more money at it. As an example, it seems ridiculous to me to have to make an appointment and take up my doctor's time simply to have a prescription refilled, especially if it is something I've been taking for a long time and nothing has changed. Leave the doctors to treat patients with real health issues.

Observer
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To all those trotting out the typical "Our system is better than the US system", you are missing the point. The options available are not only Universal Healthcare or a for-profit out of pocket system (despite what the NDP want you to believe). In reality virtually every nation on earth (including all of the countries that place ahead of Canada in the international rankings) employ some kind of public/private partnership. In fact, other than North Korea, I am hard pressed to come up with another country besides Canada that ONLY offers public healthcare. Its time we put to rest the old scare tactic of "replacing Health Cards with Credit Cards" and actually educate ourselves as to how the rest of the world delivers healthcare, often more effectively than we do in Canada!

scott
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Canada's public health care system has been deliberately and systematicaly targeted for dismantling for a long time now. I believe the expression is "death by a thousand cuts". Thanks in large part to Quebec, The canada health act has been shown to be not worth the paper it is written on. At it's present rate of decline, Within the next 15 to 20 years the public system will no longer exist much to the delight of the health insurance companies and politicians. God help any canadian who is not rich when this time comes because our government sure will not.

Linda in Vancouver
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Trying to make sure no one ever dies in this country is an expensice proposition.I do agree with the poster who suggested that health care taxes should be visible,and the revenue should not go into general revenue.As it is now,almost every other government ministry is being cut short of revenue as governments try to mask the increasing health care costs by diverting money meant for forestry,defense,arts,justice, foreign aid,immigration,etc,etc,etc.No nation can survive if it spends all of it's tax dollars on the citizens living here today.Without building infrastrucure and revenue generating industry,we risk leaving the next generation of Canadians with nothing to sustain either themselves,or the nation.The real GREED in Canada today is the notion that we are entitled to everything our hearts desire,and that someone else should pay for it.Actual earning it is a concept that went out the window as we embrace socialism.That is the evil that creates the unrealistic expectation that money grows on trees,we all have equal rights, and no one has any personal responsibility to earn those rights.They're just FREE. Our worst problem?? Leaving it up to the politicians to fix.Their motivation is to get elected, and not be blamed for the failing system.If this was an easy fix,every nation would have found the cure a long time ago.While no one I know thinks the Americans have the right solution to health care,at least they have the courage to talk about the issue.It's real people.And it's about a lot more than the politics of blame.

Sick of Canadians
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I am so sick and tired of "Canadians" like LorraineH ... you're blaming immigrants for your' bankrupt healthcare system? First, you are an immigrant. Unless you're of Native heritage, you're not from here so in a twisted way you're own ignorance forces you to take responsibility for your countries failures. Second, keep sitting on your behind watching game show's and refusing to vote unless it's American Idol or get politically active while corrupt men and women get voted into office and tax all of us within an inch of our livelihood. Like wars for Israel and USA and Jesus that cost BILLIONS. Third, white folks are the largest recipients of welfare in the country particularly white women who go out and start having kids at 16 years old by several different men. I'm a white folk so don't let my language mislead you. Fourth, this country was, is and will only be sustained by immigrants. We are literally a dying nation and we're all so over-educated that there is no one to work at Tim's or janitors or other menial jobs the immigrants perform gladly to keep their families safe and provide a better life for their children -- sinister, I know. Fifth, our Health Care System is horrid. Horrid. We have unionized nurses who are incompetent, cruel, indifferent and plain old but, we can't get rid of them. We have doctors who are unqualified and arrogant and regularly misdiagnose, over medicate and kill and/or maim but, again b/c our system is so desperate regulatory bodies do nothing. Not to mention old equipment that needs to be replaced and hospitals understaffed and financially ignored. But, we have billions bleeding out to Afghanistan, bloated military, politicians back pockets, tax breaks for corporations and millionaires on and on and on.

Frank Buchan
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A lot of venom in the comments is entirely misplaced. Immigrants are not stressing the system to the degree bad lifestyle choices have. It isn't even specifically our ageing population, but the state of their general health as individuals. The point I'm making is healthy people require less complex, intensive and ongoing care. So, rather than blame immigrants, etc., why don't we ask ourselves, as people, why we are not limiting the stress on the system by living healthier?And, specific to that picture of the guy with an armload of medication, maybe we might want to question the pharmaceutical industries role in driving costs. We seem to be a society where a pill exists for everything, and we seldom seem to ask about the value on the investments in providing broad drug coverage.

Jerry in Calgary
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Many seniors if not most are in fact better able and better off when it comes to paying their way regarding healthcare. They in fact are the ones WHO HAVE THE MONEY. When they eventually die, all that wealth in the form of insurance policies and mortgage free homes, will be passed on to their chilren.....the baby boomers. Yes some seniors are not so rich but they do not represent the total some of the healthcare problem facing us today. Come to think of it, why not look at all the young people who do not work for one reason or another....some being good and some not so good reasons. They don't have any money for healthcare but our grandparents do and us (eventually) will have it too. So lets stop blaming rich seniors and their surviving children (us baby boomers with monies to come) for the healthcare delimas facing us today. The problem is as much to do with the young (not working and paying) as it has to do with some poor seniors.

marianandlloyd
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We are sending out police, ambulances and attendants, hospital staff, doctors on street drug addicts, only to save their lives and send them back out to do it again! That is a waste of health care dollars, I watch immigrant women who don't want blemish on their faces repeatedly go to doctors to have them removed free, because of cultural issues.When Canada wakes up and realizes that when you get old you sometimes want to die and be done cause you are tired, let us go, stop saving us to a live of misery. There is three issues you bleeding hearts have kept wasting our medical dollars on. I can think of more.

Reality
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Immigrants yes except for the First Peoples we are all immigrants and every one knows that. The issue is ut debt & reality. In life you cannot continue to spend money that you know you should not spend if you do not want to go bankrupt. If you have a home and you know you can feed only so many people how long can you continue to have more people live in the house? This is the question!

Jerry in Calgary
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A couple of years ago, when our politicians did away with "healthcare premiums" in Alberta, they unwisely did so fully knowing at the time that the "public healthcare system" was under tremendous stress and duress financially and heading for the toilet. At that time, they were not acting in the best interests of healthcare but rather in the interests of themselves and that has not changed to this very day. They say its never too late to make a wrong....a right! The infusion of over $1 billion dollars of revenue into the healthcare system would certainly go a long way towards protecting our cherished and valued "public" healthcare system. So my question is.......what are our misguided politicians waiting for to correct this bad decision? We already know from a past recent survey that over 50% of Albertans understand whats at risk here (our public healthcare system) and would not mind seeing the return of these badly needed revenues in the form of healthcare premiums. I demand that our politicians here in Alberta stop thinking of themselves and their potential votes first and start thinking of the healthcare of Albertans.....first and put behind them their lust for votes.

Brian in Toronto
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For all of you who think you should contribute $$ to get healthcare to look after you, we all do. HSP, PST, whatever you want to call it is a tax that goes to healthcare. I am Canadian and have been born here, I went to Ireland for a few years, should I not get healthcare for so many years that I was gone? Should a new born baby have to pay, they certainly are not paying into it. We all pay fo rit in one form or another. i worked in healthcare in ireland for 3 years, their private/public systems is terrible, go over, get sick and then let me know how it went for you.Brian

RudyHaugeneder
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NDM-l should solve the hospital overcrowding problem, and some form of doctor user fees should lower the number of people using clinics for minor problems, and eliminate many hypochondriacs.
It is time to immediately launch a major medical robotics research and implementation program, and also ration health care, including drugs, by restricting services to a large parcel of medical essential treatments generally required by people of specific age groups -- for example, 10 year increments beginning at age 25, and which be reviewed every five years to take into account medical science and medical robotic advances.
As for Canadians saying they are willing to purchase medical insurance, I suspect the answers would have been different if those surveyed were told this will cost them an extra couple hundred dollars or so monthly per family, starting immediately -- and increase a couple of hundred more to cover future private extended care to take care of them when they get older.
At that stage, I suspect you would hear screams of rage rather than what the survey found.
And that doesn't take into account that there could be a long and drawn out economic recession, perhaps depression, at some point in the future, making it almost impossible to pay the premiums.
Just food for thought.

kg1
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this article seems to blame the raising cost of health care on the "frail elderly" of our society. I think their stats are somewhat misinformed as the frail elderly are almost a thing of the past, what with a healthier lifestyle yes people are living longer but my 93 year old aunt who is in very good health is no more a drain our health care than I am a 42year old healthy person. I would think that an obese person is more a drain on the health care system

food for thought
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The small amount of abuse added to our health care system by immigrants is a drop in the bucket compared to the abuses by Canadian citizens. In our materialistic society that would rather have toys that children, we need immigrants. They are a vital part of our country. Although the Tamil ship has made headlines lately and I agree that this is not the way to allow immigrants into our borders, they are not the enemy. We are bankrupting our own system with our lifestyles. We are overstressed, over medicated, over weight and over engrossed with "living the good life". The belief that we don't need to take care of ourselves because we will just take a pill or get a surgery is rampant. Part of the problem with our system is there is no penalty for abusing your health. I have aging parents who believe that they are entitled to every procedure available but when asked to change their eating habits or increase activity or lose weight they refuse. I hear that society owes them. I sometimes really question this rational. They elected governments who ran deficits and promised the good life even though everyone knew their children would have to pay for it. Seniors receive billions in benefits, yet many of them are in better financial shape than their younger counterparts. I do believe that as they are the largest consumers of the health care system that they need to contribute as well. There are those who can't and we need to take care of them, but for those who are more than able I think we need to rethink their contribution to the system. If you can afford to take your motor home to Arizona then you can afford to pay for the your prescriptions.

adw
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I think the creative trick is to make it a win win for both the public system and for private practise health care services, that is if private clinics became a Canadian reality. Integrety of service should not have to be compromised in the public system if we can adjust to equality not necessarily meaning sameness, but equality based on good will and honest services for all. Mal practise should hold the same level consequence within both sectors, and doctors, though more would probably be needed, would all graduate under the same set of standards. I think we have enjoyed a great health system, and I wish it didn't have to change, but if it is not going to help people in the future then...

Doug # BC
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The good news is that Canadians are finally waking up the the fact that our health care system is A)not the best in the world,B) not sustainable in it's current form,and C) definitely not "free". I would say to "Jamie,Ottawa",that no one favours a USA style health care system.But if you don't see how the involvement of the private sector can HELP lower costs,you simply haven't been listening,or don't want to hear. I would ask "Alyx Crawford",whose great grandparents immigrated from Britain if they got "free" health care when they got here..I seriously doubt they did,and probably did not feel as entitled as "Alyx" seems to feel.If they got sick, they either took care of themselves,or died. We all need to stop looking for a villian.The costs keep going up for a whole lot of very complex reasons.One of the simplest facts to wrap our heads around is that the system treats and cures conditions that were untreatable as recently as the 1960's.Hips and knees are replaced every day.Hearts surguries and organ transplants are routine.And yes,people have been accustomed to thinking the system is "free" so abuse is rampant.Even people who were born men can demand that the public pay for them to now become women.Or people who are criminals can claim :they were "disturbed",and demand a life time of babysitters,rather than a stint in jail. However we do this,we MUST do this.We are in just as much trouble on this file as they are in the USA.We've just been ignoring and vilifyong the people that have been pointing this out for years.There is a lot we can do but if we continue to spend more and more on health care,there wil be nothing left for anything else.

Nancy
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It is not the baby boomers who are causing a strain on the healthcare system. The baby boomers have been sustaining the system that is fast declining. We cannot keep giving away healthcare to everyone. Years ago there were screening processes before people could enter the country. This is no longer the case. The public should be aware of the number of people entering the country with diseases such as TB and Renal disease that is putting a significant strain on the system

Chris - Northern Ontario
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We pay into healthcare and it seems to be worse now then before. I know there are many factors which play into the equasion but I would like to keep my money if it's not making a difference overall

h-tech
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I think that people that wish for a private heath care system should go live in the US. Where even if you have coverage you don't know if you are covered. Where corporate profits come before helping people. Where it is OK to see your neighbor fail because of health care bankruptcy. Just look to the US and you see a society that no longer cares. Where US people that reach the age of 65 and qualify for state health care feel like they have won the lottery. So those Canadians that wish for that system, move to the US if they will have you. Good Luck! I am staying right here in Canada and proud of our system even if it is not perfect, it is better than the alternative.

Westerner
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My question is "Why did government not have Cost of living increases INSTEAD OF Huge salaries increases?" This overburdened system is not cost effective as a business and those Seniors that have paid into the system are due some credit - due to the fact THEY HAVE PAID AND EARNED IT. Those people that come to Canada and cannot sustain themselves with employment and contribute to the healthcare system are a burden on society - thus increasing the demands. Adult Immigrants who can speak english as a "Mother toung" and Non-working Adults who were born in Canada are burdening the system as a nonsustaining citizen - contributingto society. I for one have watch several seniors come from other countries to retire in Canada and Collect Old age pension and Health care because their Country of origin doesn't have a program. They actually bost this (from India) as WANTING something they never paid into for years (since able to work - 18 years of age) - but wanting to start age age 62. Sign me - tired born Canadian tired of flipping the non-contributors bill.

MARG MM
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It is unfortunate that everytime a public/private partnership regarding health care is mentioned the socialists "set their hair on fire". Why can't one go to a private clinic for an MRI etc, and have it paid for by your medicare? It would seem to make sense that if the public system didn't have to pay for all of the diagnostic machines,staffing etc, but just paid for the usage of them at a private clinic, then there would be more funds for other things, as well as more machines and likely less wait time. When people say that they don't want a two-tiered system, they are just fooling themselves, as we already have one. It is possible to go to a private clinic with your own cash so why not make it possible to go to one and have our medicare system pay. Thus a public/private partnership. That way everyone would have access. As it is now,a lot of Canadians also have a private plan that covers things that medicare doesn't. Is that not two-tiered? I think that people just need to get over the part about "private" involvement and realize that without it our public system cannot be sustained.

BMIA
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The health care system is funded by tax dollars. Governments love to tax and they bloat the system with government payroll. Every year we hear how there is increasing strain on doctors and how we have a shortage of doctors. Every year more dollars get funded to the system. How does that make sense that more dollars into the system yields ever-increasing strain on existing doctors and an increasing lack of available doctors? Simple. Government wasting tax dollars in a system bloated with government administration and not being spent where it matters - the doctors and the patients. I am certain if I were able to look at the "books" I could define, exactly, where the money is going, as I am certain could a million other individuals in Canada. There are not an "infinite" amount of accounting codes - there may be 30 million different directions the money is going but those could be exactly defined. This is why the call for privatization - because the government is extremely inefficient in delivery and succeeds at bloating itself (more government). Privatization is calling for less government and more doctors available to more patients and less strain on existing doctors and existing patients.

ann
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I believe no one should be able to get free OHIP here in Canada unless they have paid into it for at least 10 years. It is not fair to the people that have paid into OHIP all of their working lives. Our money is now paying for the health care of immigrants who have never paid into the system, and this is the reason our health care is now having serious problems. If immigrants come to Canada, they should have enough money to pay for any medical they require, and they should be allowed to come only if they are in good health, like it used to be after world war 2. If someone is diagnosed with a disease eg. diabetes, and wants to immigrate to Canada they should have the means to pay for their own health care until they have contributed into OHIP for at least 10 years.

Joe Szentirmay
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The fact of matter is that the vast majority of Canadians do not run into catastrophic health care costs,so why did the liberals nationalize medicine.For votes ,that's why,and by doing that, they ruined and lessened the quality of care avaiable to all of us.I want to be free to choose whether I insure myself or not,but the liberals won't allow me that freedom, why?

B. Kelley, Ontario
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The problem with our system is that Canadians view health insurance and health care as being the same animal. They are not. We have the best insurance in the world but, in order to provide service to everybody equally, watering down the level of the health care we receive has become inevitable. Most people believe that their doctor is deciding what tests and procedures they need. The truth is that doctors and hospitals must follow very strict diagnostic and treatment protocols, dictated by the Ministry of Health, on what they can offer to a patient in any given situation. That protocol is driven largely by costs ahead of medical necessity. That's why we no longer receive a battery of tests at one time but slowly, one by one until a diagnosis is finally established. In the meantime cancers are growing, hearts are failing and other diseases are progressing while the patient crawls through the medical accounting minefield. Private clinics and hospitals that could be used by those who can afford to pay directly or obtain private insurance coverage would take the pressure off the public system and move a significant percentage of the patient load away from the public system. If we're ever going to stop the rolling snowball we're going to have to swallow our pride and accept that the only viable solution is a multi-tier approach. Otherwise we're going to suffer increasingly equal misery for all with our care decided, not by doctors, but by accountants.

Could be Better but,,,
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I know our health care system is not the best, but we can be thankful that it is not like the US! And shame on anyone who wants us to model our health care system on that. Perhaps you should do a bit more research and then see what you think!

Jane
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The comments I am reading is all about the government not having sufficient funds to assist Canadians with their health care, and the news article just above this one is asking Canadians to provide more money to fund another country in their time of need. Will these countries come to our rescue when their no longer is a health care system? I doubt it. So, it's about time for the Canadian government to start looking after Canadians who have paid their dues.

The Other Lowell in BC
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SamHaving worked on some very expensive so called smart health systems, I couldn't agree with you more. Money not well spent. Having said that, with the health demands growing, it is imperative that we figure out how to do things smarter, better utilize the doctor's time, use medical facilities more prudently to cut down on costs, get more value for the dollars we spend on health care. But what Canadians really need to do is look at how they live. The food they put in their mouth, lifestyles and their extent of healthy living. That is ultimately going to be where the cost savings are.

KJ in Kingston Ontario
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Well yes -- it will be a time of diminishing resources and at some point there will be a need to acknowledgement what is now a dirty little secret underlying waiting lists: wasting scarce resources on hopeless cases is VERY VERY destructive to society in the long run. We are not designed to live forever. It would be far better if people faced the fact they can't and won't "get better" no matter how much health care spending is diverted from educating the next generation or how much money is spent on long term care rather than productivity improvements in the wider economy. We need a real debate about the value of dumping 80% of life time spending on health care into an individual's the last few useless months of life.

Bill
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The government never seems to have trouble finding millions and millions of dollars to give away to other countries but can't come up with the money to look after it's own people.We have people without homes. We have children going to school hungry. We have sick people denied certain drugs and life saving operations. We have our own people living in squaller.You don't have to look across any ocean to see a country in need.

tml
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As a healthcare provider, I also see the wave of preventable illnesses such as Type 2 Diabetes, Stroke, and heart disease coming because we as baby boomers do not seem to be willing to make lifestyle changes and choices in our eating and exercise habits to offset illness. Collectively we must sound the alarm of the implications and costs of obesity in children and adults.

Jim-Surrey
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The more migrants we allow in the more our health care goes down the toilet. No one budgeted for all the imports have arrived thanks to Trudeau and his open door policy to immigrants.WE are now over run with them, they bring diseases with them we have to contend with and if you watch the aging East Indians walking the all seem to have some sort of hip issue as they limp badly and of course they come here and seek medical attention their own country didn't provide.SO yes aging natural born tax paying Canadians are worried about health care when the see this and then the Ministry of Health does cut backs to the system and we suffer more.Maybe politicians in any portfolio should have degrees in such things as Medicine and Finances etc or they don't get the portfolio because WE the taxpayers end up suffering because they don't know what the hell they are doing as they have no knowledge in the field their portfolio covers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Stu
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The US health costs the most & is 37th on the list, Canada coming in at 30. France has the best health care system in the world & cost less than the US, of course they have a liberal government.

JDS13
said
0 0

Maybe this is an indication that we need to start living healthier lives, then maybe you wouldn't need the system nearly as much...just a thought :/

Sue McPherson, Oshawa
said
0 0

Mary wrote "The health care system in Canada gives each patient a rating when admitted."I had thought it was more informal than that, that it was the hospital staff, or the doctor's, who rated the patient according to the knowledg ethey had on hand at that moment. They must look at social ratings - does this person work, have children, a husband, own a home, or is well-established within the community. All these things count. Then, of course, we have to deal with the biases of hosptial staff themselves. If I break an ankle, can I, an older woman without a husband, a job, or home that I own, expect to be treated fairly by an orthopedic surgeon who got his training at a university in Libya? Not only am I dealing with ageist, sexist, and class-based biases from people who grw up Canadian, but I also have to deal with foregn attitudes of the medical staff.Being able to walk and have the independence that allows is important for older people. To have that taken away at the whim of the medical staff, and other health-care practitioners, is the fault of the attitudes that actuallyu seem to be enouraged in our country. Canada is not a nice place to live, for many of us.

Dave S Calgary
said
0 0

This is very simple and most people got it right, baby boomers paid into these funds for years and yet the gov seems to think it is fine just to give it away to anybody that comes into Canada that is not the way it was set up to work and will not work that way. It is and has been time to look after Canada and the Canadian people not the rest of the world and anyone that wants to say that it racist or inhumane is welcome to do so. And NO the Libs will not get the power back.

Paul, Toronto
said
0 0

The Canadian medical universities and colleges should be under a mandatory 5 year Canadian residency or practice law for new graduates, regardless of the student's originating country of residence. Possibly the term could be shortened if the new doctor, nurse, or dentist, etc., agreed to take their service in a more remote part of the country. This could slow our brain drain and provide more Canadians with a doctor.

MRC in Ontario
said
0 0

George Neeson, thank you for your input that is very important. I cannot imagine the changes you've witnessed first-hand in your lifetime & I truly feel your disappointment with how the system has been abused & become. What you describe is just a consequence of our growth problems I pointed out earlier. We have grown too fast too quickly. The Ontario Health Premium (Tax), introduced by McGuinty, is just the beginning of the end & the first strong indicator of an unsustainable healthcare system. The old saying goes, "too much pride can kill a man"...but so can too much compassion. I think there is just too much compassion in society (Western World) today that needs to be reeled back in before we all do it to our own people with a smile on our face...

Faye (retired RN)
said
0 0

I am glad to see the raised awareness of the health care issues facing the general Canadian population. Now the public needs to address the issues before it is too late to mend the system. One solution I believe may work is to have a portion of our tax dollars dedicated toward health care only, and not placed in general revenue. There must be acknowledgement by the government of the day that health care costs WILL increase as us baby boomers age. and increase the dedicated funding accordingly. We do not need to raise taxes to do this, as we are already one of the most overtaxed nations. We also need to develop alternatives to patients visiting emergency departments for non-life threatening illnesses. There should be more 24 hour urgent care clinics with full lab and xray facilities, so that things such as fractures and acute infections can be handled after hours, thus relieving some of the pressure placed on emergency departments across the country. We need to be more proactive with our provincial and federal politicians and suggest solutions...and together I am hopeful we can "fix" this broken system.

Syl
said
0 0

Our Health Care System will eventually bankrupt Canada. It is great to have everything covered but if you can't make use of the service because of lack of government funding, what good is it? I don't think health care was ever meant to cover 'everything' such as sex-change operations, abortions, invitro fertilization, any types of cosmetic surgury - and the list could go on and on. Then too, where are the doctors and other health care providers who are to give the services we need? It is quite clear that something drastic must be done but no-one will step up and do anything.

chel in the Peg
said
0 0

Let's start my reducing administration costs. Our public system should be administered by private insurers who understand the importance of efficiency and reducing operating costs.

Prof. Pye Chartt
said
0 0

The Province of Ontario has already, effectively, publicly admitted that its OHIP system is inadequate. (The "future" is already here, folks.) Standing agreements are in place with American clinics, hospitals, and diagnostic facilities to handle Canadian patients. (Some services are even brokered.) Last year the Ontario government funded 11,775 out-of-country procedures, up 450% from 2001, at a cost of $164M. (Sometimes, even, just files for MRI and CT scans are sent to American radiologists for evaluation.) Our system is already, formally, on the road to bankruptcy. Never mind the "future" issue with Baby Boomers...as the "silver tsunami" will represent the final nail in the coffin of fully-public universal healthcare. Our system is already profoundly mediocre, but too-proud Canadians steadfastly refuse to admit it. (Public universal healthcare has always been an obnoxious bragging right of Canadians while trashing their American neighbors. "We have FREE heathcare!" Our growing reliance on the U.S. for cross-border care must make our southern neighbors smile a bit now.) The bottom-line fact is, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked Canada's health-system performance 30th on the planet. (The "pathetic" U.S. stands close behind us in 37th position.) Not exactly something to brag and lecture about, given our G8 membership, and given the current and forthcoming challenging realities. Peruse the list of the 29 countries ranking ahead of Canada on the list, and see how that unfounded superiority complex holds up, folks. ...Keep living in denial.

island girl
said
0 0

Yup, let's blame the Baby Boomers. We knew for the last 30 years the boomers would retire and at that time, the boomers were paying TAXES!!! More boomers, more taxes. THAT's when money should have been budgeted for their retirement by government just as boomers themselves have had to save for their own retirement. If gov't had not squandered the money, our taxes would have been there for our retirement years for both pensions AND healthcare.

Brian Fr langley
said
0 0

While the reasons for an unsustainable health care system appear complex and to daunting to solve, the cause on the other hand is as simple as it gets. The law of supply and demand. The less cost to a person the more demand for the product. This is while we will never see the end of food banks or homlessness. The more food and shelter supplied for free (or cheaper) the higher the demand will be. And why should we be surprised that people would resort to charity to stretch their money and increase their standard of living, pride at self sufficency is actually discouraged in our culture. In the end nothing that seems to offer a free lunch will ever be sustainable. Until we get that through our heads we are lost.

reece
said
0 0

We, like all developed countries, outlive Americans by several years who don't have socialized medicine. The level of brainwashing in American media astounds me - it is amazing to witness citizens fighting against something that is good for them. They'd opt that a board made up of share holders decide their fate seemingly oblivious that many of those board members are made up of former bankers.

Feng Gao
said
0 0

The real problem is we the taxpayers do not control our tax. Return the power to individual citizen : A free market is the economic consequence of personal liberty. After election, our politicians have monopoly power to spend our tax money. Therefore, we support the free market principles on turning taxable income into choices for the taxpayer. Every quarter the government departments will have a mandate to publish a report telling taxpayers that how much money they used and where it was allocated to. Additionally, the report will indicate how much they will need for the following quarter and where, so taxpayers will deposit their money where ever they think it is important for them. We also support the personal liberty of the individual, within the rule of law.

sham25
said
0 0

What about the people who get into the healthcare system and choose to live in the US. They don't even pay taxes here but when something goes wrong, they have a valid health card and come running here for healthcare.

May
said
0 0

I'm a boomer and I think this is a big load and every canuck knows how this country has changed and the people let in and have not payed there way and I think this servay conducted by these people and is agenda driven by insurance companies into scaring people into letting them take over our medical care and god help us that happens. what about that billion dollars that went missing huh

J
said
0 0

Anyone calling for privatization does not understand the implications. It does not save money. It costs taxpayers more. The only industrialized country in the world that does not have universal health care is the US and they pay twice as much per person for health care as we do in Canada. With lower standard of care.Do not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Instead look to other countries that have already solved their public health care issues and FIX the problems here!

George Neeson
said
0 0

As a physician age 73, I have watched, with alarm, the decline of care and rising physician burn out and dissaffection. The demise of universal healthcare will be sooner, not later. Canadians would be well advised to start buying health coverage, such that when the collapse occurs, they are not left high and dry. The introduction of a "private-public" system as in Great Britain, would, I believe, delay the collapse, but such a system is not without problems. The bad news is that there seems to be no reasonable way to provide high quality accessable heath care to Canadians that is sustainable.

hitech guy
said
0 0

I like our health care system. If you consider a persons health as the health to the economy then. For a healthy economy, we need to get people back on their feet and back in the economy as quickly as possible without bankrupting them. It also provides jobs that cannot be exported to some off shore company profits. And when you consider the cost remember that the health care workers pay taxes (approx. 30%) back to to the system. So it is sustainable but is ever changing. If we can change with it, we will have health care for Canada that is sustainable.

Mary
said
0 0

The health care system in Canada gives each patient a rating when admitted. If you are not worthy of being healed, or obviously unhealable, regardless of age, they let you die. What is the picture of all the drugs for the Florida man got to do with Canada.My mother had so much medication while at a convalensence home, from two different doctors, that she could not stand up. Most meds were duplicate, and still administered to her. While she was in hospital, the doctors left her on antibiotics for so long, they killed her bowel, and her. People don't write prescriptions, doctors do, and they do it for the drug companies, not the patient. Stop blaming the people for the unorganized mess you refer to as health care.

Spence in Ontario
said
0 0

This story is similar to many others that have come before. This isn't a problem only Canada is facing, virtually every developed country is facing a similar problem with a retiring population that will require more health care and likely more expensive treatment. This is occurring in countries with mainly private based systems as well so it isn't exclusive to having a public system. I'd be hesitant to allow private care so fast without some major restrictions and regulations as the main people who will jump at that will be US providers and many, especially insurance companies, have bad records of treating their costumers fairly. At the same time it isn't something to rule out altogether. There are a lot of other possibilities as well, like emphasizing home care, prioritized treatment centers, raising taxes in one form or another to put more money into the system making it easier for foreign doctors to immigrate and work here etc.

Meagen
said
0 0

Our healthcare system is in need of an overhaul and has been for many years. We've all known that this problem was coming, but as usual the governement waits until the last minute to do anything about it. And we all know that the their solution will be to just take more taxes from us and throw money at the problem instead of actually trying to change the current system. Seems like the government always thinks that that's the easy fix, but in this case it's not. I am a believer in the private sector and those who can afford it and have private insurance should use it! I use it and I love it! Leave the public sector to those who really need it. I also think that more of our tax money should remain within the provinces so that they can do what they need with it instead of having the federal governement redistribute it. We should take a serious look at who we keep voting for. They all keep making healthcare promises, but once we vote them in, their agenda changes and healthcare takes a back seat. I'm sure they're not worrying about their retirements . . . they'll use the private sector!

TEA in SK
said
0 0

The health care system is non-sustainable and needs more private approaches in order to stay afloat...

Optimist
said
0 0

The quality of our health care is a direct result of the people who provide it. These people get paid very well for the services they provide. Our system is inundated with hypochondriacs of all ages. I don't believe money is the issue at all but a lack of conciencious users of the system.

CYL
said
0 0

@Sam C.... I don't remember mentioning anything about turning away anyone. Imposing 'x' years is reasonable, newborns is the responsibility of parents not the social system/government. I am not one who takes handouts like some of the immigrants both legal & illegal, I have worked and paid my share as a legal immigrant myself from many many moons ago. We cannot continue with the excuse of 'a compassionate society', and I am speaking from experience and exposure on those who came here to drain our social system because it is draining the system and there are tactics these people use to fudge the system. However, I do agree that we need a government, to govern honestly. There's a lot more to a lot of stories I am referring to but would rather not get into details.

LorraineH
said
0 0

Alyx
Yes we come from immigrants who worked and paid taxes to our Government which allowed them to set up Medicare, Welfare, etc. They and we, their children, continued working and paying in order to benefit. I am in favour of Immigrants but they have to be able to pay their way or have a sponsor who is financially responsible for them until such time as they start paying taxes. Giving every immigrant Medicare is unsustainable and we, working individuals, who have paid taxes will soon not benefit from the system we paid for. Current Immigrants : What have they contributed? When will they start to contribute? After Government paid French lessons? What do they live on in the meantime? Is it too much to ask that our Government ensure that immigrants will not only be able to work but work in their chosen fields before they get here? In Quebec, we have Language laws that don�t allow Immigrants to work until they have mastered the French language � but we continue to accept those that cannot work in French. Professional Groups, e.g. Engineers, Doctors, set up unrealistic exams to prevent immigrants from working in Quebec. There is a whole generation of people who are starting to retire after working hard for their entire lives but, due to our Government�s largeness, they will be penalized as more and more we are asked to pay for services that should be free, cannot find GPs and are the victims of extreme waiting lists for both diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, pay for Doctor�s visits, etc.

Will
said
0 0

Jamie: the private clinic cannot bill extra to the patient. They get paid only what the medical system pays any hospital/doctor. This is LAW- the Canada Health Act. They private clinic makes its profit because it only does certain procedures, unlike a public hospital that has to do everything and has enormous costs. The problem is that every time someone suggests any sort of private clinic partnered with the public system, the socialists immeadiately go right past panic into high speed wobble, shrieking that we are "abandoning" our public system for an american "for profit" one instead of facing the reality of what is proposed. Does that clear it up for you?

M
said
0 0

Perhaps if the system weren't saddled with an over-bloated middle-management system-that does nothing to further health care-then health care delivery wouldn't be so expensive.Cut out the middle-management do-nothings and the savings will speak for themselves!

Munro - Brampton
said
0 0

Strain. What about the never ending flood of immigrants coming in ! In Brampton it is very hard to get a family doctor. Walk in clinics are as common as grocery stores. Don't blame this on baby boomers.

Sam
said
0 0

Alyx, the difference between the immigrants of years ago and today, is that years ago they weren't given, nor did they expect, free healthcare or anything else. If they initially needed help when they first arrived, it was given to them by sponsoring family and/or friends who came before them, and worked for what they had.

MRC in Ontario
said
0 0

Things can only get worse as we grow & grow & grow on top of all the aging baby-boomers. Look at the urban sprawl & waterfront condo building in Toronto just over the last 20 years...it's disgusting. The problem with everything is just numbers, our country's population has grown 55% IN JUST 40 YEARS! In case you need clarification, 40 years ago was 1970...AFTER the baby-boomer births. You can't grow that quickly & not expect growing pains; just say thanks to your "nice" politicians over that same time period.

Alyx Crawford
said
0 0

Lorraine, you may have forgotten that ours is a nation of immigrants. My great-grandparents came here from Britain and Europe, and found a country that welcomed them with open arms. Have we now become a country that is less welcoming of immigrants? How sad.

Sam C
said
0 0

@CYL... as a compassionate society, we should not be turning anyone away, nor imposing an 'x' years requirement. (Would this apply to newborns, for instance?) We need to find better ways to fund Healthcare, even if it means diverting funding from other non-essential projects and programs. We DO have the ability to fund Healthcare -- we need a Government that has the WILL to do so.

Drew from T.O
said
0 0

They need to change the system to the only people who get health care are thrid generation. That way I pay for my grandchildren's health care and so forth. This get to the country and get our heath care is destroying what it was ment for. Everyone who becomes a new Canadian now has essentially hit the jack pot / lottery.People won't accept this plan as this will cut off a large portion of the population, but is the only way to get the system back on track.

Mark in the East
said
0 0

Danny Williams is anything but a good example for our health care system. His patronizing and disrespectful attitudes towards his province's doctors, combined with a refusal to ensure that provincial physician salaries remain at parity with those in other provinces ensures that the people of Newfoundland and Labrador will pay the price for his obstinancy. Overworked physicians who are sacrificing family lives to care for their patients will simply not remain in a province that refuses to offer at least *parity* in wages with other atlantic provinces. If I was a medical student in Newfoundland I certainly would be looking elsewhere for emplyment when I graduate...great recruitment strategy, Mr. Williams.

Sam
said
0 0

Our governments waste millions and millions on Smart Systems for Health and Health Infoway, through mismanagement and highly paid bureaucrats. We allow anybodyand their relatives to come to this country, including and so called refugees, who jump the immigration system. We give them free healthcare on the backs of hardworking Canadians who have paid into the system for years. I wonder why Canadians are getting fed up!But wait, I bet you they all vote Liberal!

Jamie, Ottawa
said
0 0

Dean said "Like it or not healthcare in its present form is financially unsustainable. Allowing private clinics is a step in the right direction" >> The problem though is no one has explained to me how a private, for profit, clinic saves anyone money. If you're paying into the public system and you're paying a private clinic you're doubling up your costs. Your doctor's office today is a private clinic, it just happens to get paid by the public insurance plan.

LorraineH
said
0 0

Government assistance should not be given to anyone who has not paid into our system. We cannot keep accepting immigrants and providing them with healthcare and welfare. When sponsoring someone you should be liable for any health or monetary issues raised by those you sponsor for a minimum of 10 years after they start contributing. If they never contribute then they never benefit. Our contributor base is shinking and will not support those who have paid into various Government programs for all their working lives. I paid into this system all my working life which should cover me and my children until they start working and contributing themselves which should continue their coverage and that of their future children and the cycle continues.

CW
said
0 0

Like Greece we will eventually go bankrupt.

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money...

Dean
said
0 0

Like it or not healthcare in its present form is financially unsustainable. Allowing private clinics is a step in the right direction. We have people leaving the country to have surgery abroad (Premier Danny Williams is a great example) so why not have that money spent here?

CYL
said
0 0

For years I have had the same thoughts, our health care system will go down the drain and we who pay into the system for many years will end up with no care or insufficient care, why ? The government has been/is giving away our benefits to thousands who never paid into it. It's time to put a stop to it. Health cards should only be issued to those who have paid into it for 'x' amount of years.

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