You get what you pay for.That’s the conclusion Canadians are increasingly coming to when it comes to travelling south of the border for routine health care needs or even opening up access to private healthcare on this side of the border. A new Ipsos poll for Global News has found that 42% of Canadians would go to the US and pay more out of pocket for routine medical care, up 10 points from January of last year.Another 38% said they would head south for ‘emergency’ care and personally pay for services — that’s up 9% from a year ago.Even more surprising, full majorities — 63% — support private health care for those who can afford it in this country and 60% support private delivery of publicly funded services. Another 53% agreed the health care system needs more money through the introduction of new user fees or private health care services. According to the survey results, the top concern wasn’t the quality of care in this country, but rather, timely access to routine medical procedures, screening and emergency wait times..In a separate survey, Ipsos found 38% of respondents expect the quality of the healthcare system to deteriorate in the next few years compared to just 19% who expect it to get better.Atlantic Canadians (43%) and those in BC (32%) are significantly more likely to feel the quality of healthcare in their local area is worse than elsewhere in Canada.When those who say the quality of healthcare they have access to is ‘not good’ were asked why they believe this, an overwhelming majority, 77%, cite a lack of healthcare professionals to meet demand. About 44% of Canadians said it's a result of not enough funding from the federal government compared to last year, which is actually down from 51% last year.Only 40% were confident that provincial governments are able to reduce emergency room wait times, while fully 60% said they were not confident of being able to be treated in a timely manner in an ER..“Going and paying your way out of your circumstance creates a terrible malady in our system. Because what it means is that private carriers will take the cases that are the most profitable ones, leaving the public system eviscerated. And that is a circumstance we cannot allow.”Health Minister Mark Holland.When confronted with the findings Health Minister Mark Holland flatly rejected any notion of private health care in this country and urged Canadians “to be patient” while governments address issues of worker shortages and wait times.“Going and paying your way out of your circumstance creates a terrible malady in our system. Because what it means is that private carriers will take the cases that are the most profitable ones, leaving the public system eviscerated,” he said from a medical conference in Toronto. “And that is a circumstance we cannot allow.”In February 2023, the federal government offered the provinces $196.1 billion over 10 years, including $46.2 billion in new money. As of Monday, all had agreed in principle with the exception of Quebec..The poll surveyed 1,001 people over 18 between February 16 and 20, and is considered accurate to ± 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.Among its other findings: Four in ten Canadians believe provinces should get more health care dollars from the federal government and they should decide how to spend this money. Those in Quebec are more likely to agree (53%) compared to those living in Ontario (37%). Almost six in ten feel that provinces should have to show the federal government a plan on how they will deliver better care to get more federal dollars, with Ontarians (63%) more likely than those in Quebec (47%) to support this.
You get what you pay for.That’s the conclusion Canadians are increasingly coming to when it comes to travelling south of the border for routine health care needs or even opening up access to private healthcare on this side of the border. A new Ipsos poll for Global News has found that 42% of Canadians would go to the US and pay more out of pocket for routine medical care, up 10 points from January of last year.Another 38% said they would head south for ‘emergency’ care and personally pay for services — that’s up 9% from a year ago.Even more surprising, full majorities — 63% — support private health care for those who can afford it in this country and 60% support private delivery of publicly funded services. Another 53% agreed the health care system needs more money through the introduction of new user fees or private health care services. According to the survey results, the top concern wasn’t the quality of care in this country, but rather, timely access to routine medical procedures, screening and emergency wait times..In a separate survey, Ipsos found 38% of respondents expect the quality of the healthcare system to deteriorate in the next few years compared to just 19% who expect it to get better.Atlantic Canadians (43%) and those in BC (32%) are significantly more likely to feel the quality of healthcare in their local area is worse than elsewhere in Canada.When those who say the quality of healthcare they have access to is ‘not good’ were asked why they believe this, an overwhelming majority, 77%, cite a lack of healthcare professionals to meet demand. About 44% of Canadians said it's a result of not enough funding from the federal government compared to last year, which is actually down from 51% last year.Only 40% were confident that provincial governments are able to reduce emergency room wait times, while fully 60% said they were not confident of being able to be treated in a timely manner in an ER..“Going and paying your way out of your circumstance creates a terrible malady in our system. Because what it means is that private carriers will take the cases that are the most profitable ones, leaving the public system eviscerated. And that is a circumstance we cannot allow.”Health Minister Mark Holland.When confronted with the findings Health Minister Mark Holland flatly rejected any notion of private health care in this country and urged Canadians “to be patient” while governments address issues of worker shortages and wait times.“Going and paying your way out of your circumstance creates a terrible malady in our system. Because what it means is that private carriers will take the cases that are the most profitable ones, leaving the public system eviscerated,” he said from a medical conference in Toronto. “And that is a circumstance we cannot allow.”In February 2023, the federal government offered the provinces $196.1 billion over 10 years, including $46.2 billion in new money. As of Monday, all had agreed in principle with the exception of Quebec..The poll surveyed 1,001 people over 18 between February 16 and 20, and is considered accurate to ± 3.8 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.Among its other findings: Four in ten Canadians believe provinces should get more health care dollars from the federal government and they should decide how to spend this money. Those in Quebec are more likely to agree (53%) compared to those living in Ontario (37%). Almost six in ten feel that provinces should have to show the federal government a plan on how they will deliver better care to get more federal dollars, with Ontarians (63%) more likely than those in Quebec (47%) to support this.
