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Canadian Medical Association Report: Health Care System Needs Fixing

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First Posted: 08/10/11 12:41 PM ET Updated: 10/10/11 06:12 AM ET

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OTTAWA - A new report says Canadians believe the country's health-care system needs to be fixed.

The Canadian Medical Association report says people want to see the system transformed to deliver "timely, compassionate and efficient care."

The paper is based on the CMA's National Dialogue on Health Care Transformation with Canadians, which was conducted from December to June and was framed around three questions:

— What would you consider good value for health care?

— What do you think Canadians' responsibilities are, now and in the future, in regard to their health?

— And, do you think the Canada Health Act should be broadened to include things like pharmacare and long-term care?

The dialogue received input in person from nearly 1,500 people who attended six public town-hall meetings.

The town halls were supplemented by over 4,000 online comments captured on the website www.healthcaretransformation.ca.

"Canadians talked emotionally, eloquently and emphatically about the moral imperative to fix the health-care system and to fix it now," said Dr. Jeff Turnbull, CMA President.

"Online and in person, Canadians said they remain committed to our system of health care and they are ready to participate in transforming it for the future."

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OTTAWA - A new report says Canadians believe the country's health-care system needs to be fixed. The Canadian Medical Association report says people want to see the system transformed to deliver "t...
OTTAWA - A new report says Canadians believe the country's health-care system needs to be fixed. The Canadian Medical Association report says people want to see the system transformed to deliver "t...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
John Di Saia
An Opinionated Plastic Surgeon in the OC
84 Fans
10:07 AM on 09/18/2011
Funny that the Canadian system is the shining star for the Socialists in our government who want such a system in the USA.
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CarlyQ
Without followers, evil cannot spread.
827 Fans
08:06 PM on 08/14/2011
Personally, I am an opponent of two-tiered service.

As a single-parent (not by choice) in a two-tiered system who can NOT afford medical insurance, my oldest child could not get any treatment for his cerebral palsy (very expensive), my middle child treatment for her eyesight issues, and my youngest child his hearing issues (which requires surgery) AND eyesight issues. Poor bloke.

The other parent doesn't help for ANY of them, despite court orders and the fact he makes $100k a year, and I can't afford to push the issues (due to legal aid cutbacks).

My childrens' medical needs are left 100% up to me, a single parent struggling to break the $15/hr "ceiling" despite working in the same field since 1991.

From what I've witnessed in the USA, people like me and my children would be kicked to the curb, setting my kids up for generational failure beyond their control. Given how hard I work to simply survive (never mind provide for their future), I just can't support a system like that for Canada.
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morphyous
412 Fans
09:55 PM on 08/13/2011
Six months wating time to see an Opthamologist!! The Lion share of money is going for administration and all top positions.What's new?? Sick of it. VIHA gives Bonus's to it's managers! What's up with that. Expense accounts, best Hotels , outrageous wages for "On Call", which in some instances means carrying a phone around "in case " someone calls. There should be an investigation, I`m not kidding.
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dadw5boys
Disabled Vietnam Vet
6432 Fans
02:34 PM on 08/13/2011
Reagan expanded Medicare in the States now they claim it is too expensive .
Better take small steps or endanger it all .
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maddieMAY
0 Fans
05:50 PM on 08/12/2011
I'm a US citizen who now lives in BC and has BC Health. I've experienced both systems and had excellent employer-provided insurance when I lived in the States. I have to say - Canadian health care is great in that it offers basic care to everyone at every level. It's terrible in that you may have to wait months for specialist care and for simple diagnostic tests that should be more readily available (this isn't some kind of myth - I've experienced it first hand). The great thing is, if you ever get sick of waiting, you can just drive down to the States and pay to see a specialist, or have test done, almost immediately. Even Canadian politicians have famously taken advantage of their proximity to the US and gone to see US doctors when they felt they needed that speed/level of care. So, IMHO, both systems have their strong points. To me this hints that the answer might really be a two-tiered system.
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John Di Saia
An Opinionated Plastic Surgeon in the OC
84 Fans
10:11 AM on 09/18/2011
Waits are the signature of managed care.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
MartyJo
If the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.
1389 Fans
10:10 PM on 08/11/2011
For-Profit healthcare is immoral, as it is in the US. All the money in the world cannot buy your life when given a grim prognosis. Absolutely NO to for-profit healthcare. Our national healthcare supercedes the US in every aspect of health services and overall care. Check out WHO (World Health Organization) to see the stats for yourself. All sustainable countries have national healthcare and look where the US is. Swallowed by greed!! No thx! Our national healthcare is the envy of the US and I for one does not want some health insurance provider tell me what or what not my insurance covers. Over 50 million people in the US have ZERO coverage and those who go to the emergency room for care is passed onto those who pay insurance providers. I'm all in favor of improving upon our existing national healthcare but NO WAY to for-profit healthcare. Harper better think twice about f"*n with our healthcare.
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Whistlejackett
Hey stop doing that
971 Fans
 
10:52 AM on 08/11/2011
The reason we want it fixed, is so that it does not get challenged so often, with the added threat of privatization. Canadians love our system so go fix it and stop talking about it. We demand that our taxes be utilized in such a way that fixing the system every now and then should not be a monumental task.
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Notahuffan
15 Fans
10:36 AM on 08/11/2011
You've got more problems with this system than you can think of. The shortage of Drs. is principally driven by their inability to earn based of their skills. A "lousy" Dr. will earn the same amount as the very "best" earns. Which is why so many of our Canada-trained physicians go across the border. Same is true at EVERY level.
Yes, it is a GREAT system, but that is only true if you can access it in a timely fashion. 18 hour PLUS waits in ER's, 18 months PLUS waits for hip/knee replacements, Heaven only knows HOW long for an MRI, and on, and on, and on. But it CAN be fixed.
Higher taxes.
Which, sooner rather than later, WILL be implemented. When that happens there will be a brief and impressive improvement. Then, as the rest of the economy catches up to the newer, more expensive health care system, the same problems will recur. As much as we do NOT like the idea, the US system is FAR better- for no. of physicians, speed of care, access to the latest in technology, cutting-edge procedures, greater access to more and newer drugs.. the list just goes on. And on, And on.
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Jacob Guillermo
6 Fans
12:49 PM on 08/11/2011
Actually the US system overall is ranked much lower than Canada. Yes speed of care is great as long as it is accessible to all and affordable. While the great hospitals of US exceed those of Canada as far as innovation, the majority are equivalent and even lower average despite profitability. Quality of care compared to cost is considered way below in US compared to other nations including Canada. In preventable deaths US ranks among the lowest performer. If Canada is to improve the overall system, the last thing it would want to do is follow the US system.
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saskatoonie
387 Fans
01:01 PM on 08/11/2011
It's okay, we realize you have no idea what you are talking about!
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bvlm780
8 Fans
 
09:26 AM on 08/11/2011
I agree that there are several ways costs can be addressed from our health system, starting with moving most physicians not practicing in rural areas to a capitation model rather than fee for service. Privatization of services should-be a non starter, as it is less efficient and has higher overhead costs than a public model. However, legislating mandatory employer contributions along the Bismark system of France and Germany might be a solution. Ultimately, it seems the big driver of costs is expensive new technologies.

However, costs are only the start of our problem. We're not training enough doctors, and have a far lower physicians per capita ratio than most of the western world. This physician shortage is what is driving wait times.
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Notahuffan
15 Fans
10:35 AM on 08/11/2011
Do I favor it? Not sure. But I DO maintain it is superior to any of the National systems in place. Look to England to see OUR future if solutions aren't found.
Oh, and don't believe that there are people in the US who don't get care! There are Federal laws in place that GUARANTEE that no one who goes to hospital will be turned away- ALL have to be treated. Which helps explain why health insurance is very expensive. The system MUST recoup their expenditures or cease operations. To do so, the cost "recoveries" are done by charging more for those who HAVE insurance to pay for those who are "uninsured". Many of the "uninsured" know this so they simply choose to not be "insured".
And since NO ONE can be denied care, those aliens who are in-country without documentation can ALSO get care. And do. And this alone adds an amount that is staggering to the overall bill- and estimated 800+ BILLION to the costs. And this amount is NOT "recoverable" since the Government does not allow payment for a group that "does not exist" on the records, nor do those incurring the additional costs pay taxes into the system.
So, overall, the "capitalist" system IS more expensive. But it is also superior in it's delivery, advancement of techniques, and availability.
If I had to stake my life on one system, it would be the capitalist one.
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Shelley in BC
33 Fans
11:07 AM on 08/11/2011
In Canada no one loses their savings, retirement fund or home due to medical costs. This is a reality for many in the U.S.
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bvlm780
8 Fans
 
11:58 AM on 08/11/2011
There is no indication that increasing the proportion of private sector involvement leads to improved access. In fact, studies in Manitoba and Australia (for example) show that access is compromised - either by drawing doctors away from the public system, or by neglecting areas rural areas with insufficient population density to make operating a private facility profitable.

I haven't seen any papers lately, but I'm going to call you out on the "superior delivery", which I take to mean quality of care. Do you have any studies to back up this claim? OECD stats show the the US doesn't outperform other OECD countries when it comes to measurements such as vaccination rates, infant mortality, life expectancy at birth, etc. So how can you say the US model is "superior"?

The truth is, there's a reason no one in the OECD does Health Care like the US does (I don't mean that in a good way). The US system (as of 09) is about 47.7% publicaly funded. The only other country that low is Mexico (48.3%). Even Canada (at 70% ish) is low when compared to New Zealand and most of western Europe that tend to be from 75-85%. The US pays more, and gets less than almost any other country in the western world.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Awake-and-Sing
named after a great play written by Clifford Odets
1721 Fans
 
06:04 PM on 08/10/2011
Whatever you do, do not adopt America's non-system where corporations deny insurance coverage and paying for needed care to increase profits.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ljkcan
I don't let geographical borders limit my thinking
1640 Fans
05:56 PM on 08/10/2011
They need more doctors in smaller towns. I moved out of Toronto 5 years ago and kept my doctor in the GTA finding a doctor who is taking patients in a small town is like finding a needle in a haystack. There are no walk in clinics there is one but you have to make an appointment almost impossible to get one.

This forces people to the hospital and the hospital should not be used for minor things that is what drives the costs up. I noticed this in Toronto people go to the hospital for colds, and minor things that could be handled at a walk in clinic.

I kept all my specialists in Toronto and they are excellent and when I have a health problem they do not hesitate to fit me in or help me.
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aintnoliberalnow
Old,cranky and retired
21 Fans
04:17 PM on 08/10/2011
If you really want to improve health care then start by controlling costs in hospital overhead and wages. The salaries the top mangers make are obscene and what they pay for supplies and services are grossly inflated by the hospital supply companies. One doctor I know buys his cast material at the local hobby shop because the fabric backed plaster sold for model train layouts is identical to the cast material sold to him by the supply company. The hobby shop is $8. whereas the supplier is over $30. Clean up the pork barreling and waste at the top and then lets see what we need. Throwing more money at it is just perpetuating the bad management.
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tnanimation
342 Fans
04:06 PM on 08/10/2011
Be very careful of this gently worded trap by the CMA. These are the same guys that fought tooth and nail against socialized medicine in the 40's and fifties (many doctors threatening to move to the states, very reminiscent of the recent health care debates south of the border), and now they want to 'improve' our system with 'help' from the private sector. This opens the door for U.S. based health care corporations to spread their 'economic virus' north. This might be a good thing actually. We will get an opportunity to really see where Harper stands.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Awake-and-Sing
named after a great play written by Clifford Odets
1721 Fans
 
06:06 PM on 08/10/2011
Please, please, please, Canada, do not adopt our inferior non-system in America where people are denied insurance coverage and payment for needed care in order to increase corporate profits. You'll be sorry if you give up your superior health care system.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Whistlejackett
Hey stop doing that
971 Fans
 
10:57 AM on 08/11/2011
We won't give it up because the BBM was invented here and we will use them.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ProgressiveCDN
A Progressive Moderate
318 Fans
 
02:10 PM on 08/10/2011
If by "fixing" you mean privatizing, then Harper's your man!!
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single malt
I can't spell. I blame msn.
94 Fans
 
03:04 PM on 08/10/2011
It will never happen in Canada. It would be a death sentence for Harper's government.
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CarlyQ
Without followers, evil cannot spread.
827 Fans
08:32 PM on 08/14/2011
It CAN happen and if Harper has anything to do with it, nobody will ever have to vote again, being the King of Canada and all.
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db44
From My Perspective
158 Fans
01:51 PM on 08/10/2011
While everyone wants to improve our health care system, many people expect the government to increase funding. Health care costs already consumes enough of our taxes. We need to consider user fees for some services and accept the thinking that the status quo is not an option. db
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ProgressiveCDN
A Progressive Moderate
318 Fans
 
02:13 PM on 08/10/2011
costs need to be effectively cut.. and there already are some fees for services like ambulances.. The reform needs to come in the way Canada promotes our doctors and increases the incentive to stay in Canada, which would mean more money for them on prescriptions and things they're making good money on already... I look forward the the Harper Cons response to this need
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Russg
99 Fans
02:26 PM on 08/10/2011
While there are a lot of solutions I do not believe would be the right ones, I also firmly believe that every option should be examined. Nothing should be off the table.

Then we choose the best option(s) to resolve the issues we have. The problem is that partisanship must be left at the door, which is asking an awful lot from these pinheads (lol O'Reilly).
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