The gap between rich and poor in Canada is growing.
Organizations across the country, from the Conference Board of Canada to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives have recognized the rise of income inequality in Canada. For some, this concentration of wealth is an unremarkable trend, but for many more it is worrying change in the Canadian character.
What is indisputable to those of us working in the health care sector is its effect on health of Canadians. Health is a concern common to all, regardless of political affiliation, and does not exist in isolation from this growing problem. Evidence continues to mount that rising income inequality is contributing to the deterioration of the health of all people in Canada, regardless of their income level.
There are over 170 studies on income inequality and its relation to health. Data has demonstrated that in more unequal countries people live shorter lives, a higher proportion of children die in infancy, obesity is more common, as is mental illness and the use of illicit substances. It should come as no surprise then, that people in countries with high income inequality rate their health as worse than those in more equal nations.
Canada is no exception. In 2012, the Canadian Medical Association released a study showing how self-reported health varies with income level.
Then CMA President Dr. John Haggie said, "When it comes to the well-being of Canadians, the old saying that wealth equals health continues to ring true. What is particularly worrisome for Canada's doctors is that in a nation as prosperous as Canada, the gap between the 'haves' and 'have-nots' appears to be widening."
In 2012, higher income respondents were 29 per cent more likely to describe their health as "excellent" or "very good" than lower income respondents. In 2009, that difference was only 17 per cent. At that time, lower and higher-income Canadians were also equally accessing health care services. However, in 2012, Canadians who earned less than $30,000 a year accessed health care services 16 per cent more than those earning $60,000 or more.
Not only are we falling behind when compared to our past selves, but also when compared to other high-income countries. For example, in the case of income inequality and child well-being, we are stuck in the mediocre middle behind countries like Denmark, Spain, Finland and Belgium. The same pattern is repeated for mental health, obesity, drug abuse and a multitude of other health ills.
In the United Kingdom, where research first established the link between income inequality and health, the issue has received cross-partisan support. In 2009, Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party acknowledged that "among the richest countries, it's the more unequal ones that do worse according to almost every quality of life indicator," while the Labour Party's Ed Milliband stated, "The gap between rich and poor does matter. It doesn't just harm the poor, it harms us all."
Here at home, Canadians mirror such cross-partisan support. A recent Broadbent Institute study found that 58 per cent of Conservative supporters, 71 per cent of New Democrats and 72 per cent of Liberals are all willing to pay more to protect social programs and make reducing income inequality a higher priority.
As a family doctor who sees the impacts of these public policies on the front lines, I find myself nodding in agreement to these sentiments and calls to action. While there are some clinical interventions I can use to address income and health, systemic policy change will be the ultimate lever of change.
It is time for both federal and provincial governments to raise additional revenue from those most able to afford it in order to support social programs that help redistribute income and provide immediate health benefits for all people in Canada. In the face of mounting evidence of this growing problem and its consequences for our health and the health of our patients, our governments can no longer sit on their hands. The time for leadership on this issue has come.
This piece was originally published in HealthyDebate.ca
