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Canadians and permanent residents don’t have to deal with staggering hospital bills like Americans. However, there are several exceptions and downsides to Canada’s free healthcare.
For instance, if you need dental work, pain management or another regulated healthcare service, getting a job with extended healthcare coverage is the only way to secure affordability. Otherwise, you will have to pay out of pocket. Even emergencies like needing an ambulance can set people back hundreds of dollars.
Additionally, while a public and affordable healthcare system benefits immigrants, it needs tweaking regarding wait times and other drawbacks.
The Downsides of Canada’s Healthcare System
Provincial health insurance is a critical resource for Canada’s immigrant population. The Government of Canada notes that all immigrants are eligible for health care coverage in their respective provinces of residence under the Canada Health Act. After a waiting period of up to 90 days in certain provinces, immigrants can generally use primary health care services.
But Canada’s health care system isn’t without its flaws. A 2021 report by Mackenzie Moir and Bacchus Barua for the Fraser Institute notes that long wait times for various treatments have become a “defining characteristic” of Canadian health care. The report found that the average wait time (considering all provinces) between getting a referral from your doctor and seeing a specialist was 25.6 weeks. For individual provinces, the Maritimes have some of the longest wait times, with Prince Edward Island averaging 41.6 weeks, New Brunswick averaging 41.5 weeks and Nova Scotia averaging 53.2 weeks.
These lengthy wait times can worsen health conditions and turn non-emergencies into emergencies. In other words, waiting months for treatment points to a healthcare system that can sometimes be more reactive than proactive.
Canada also has a staffing problem, particularly with nursing. The Canadian Federation of Nurses notes over 30,000 open job vacancies, with approximately half of the registered nurse(RN) positions staying on job boards and websites for over 90 days.
Should Canada Introduce More Privatization?
In August 2022, Adam Miller and Benjamin Shingler for CTV News took a closer look at Canada’s healthcare system and its core problems – staffing and long wait times. They explored the potential of healthcare privatization. The CTV article notes how Dr. Michael Warner of Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital believes private systems are often exploitative and predatory and that fine-tuning the public system is better.
If privatization happens in some areas, it must be affordable and deliver results. But while some immigrants may hope for more readily available healthcare options, switching to a partially private system would be difficult to implement.
That said, private options for immigrants and Canadians that can afford them would free up resources for the public system. Partial privatization may fix the core issues if it exists harmoniously with the preexisting public system.
Emergencies Cost Money: A Personal Experience
We don’t learn the truth about the inconsistencies with Canada’s universal healthcare until we enter adulthood. As a child living in Newfoundland, I knew that visiting my family doctor didn’t cost money, but I didn’t question my parents about the cost of regular dental work. Perhaps I didn’t think it cost anything at all.
As a 32-year-old woman living in Toronto, Ontario, dental work is a luxury. I’ve witnessed my friends and family ignore problems like wisdom teeth and cavities because they couldn’t afford thousands of dollars worth of services. I’ve done the same and haven’t visited a dentist in years.
I also ignore most aches and pains, don’t check my eyesight and neglect other health concerns because I don’t have an extended coverage plan.
According to Ontario’s Ministry of Health, Canada’s most recognizable regulated healthcare services include dentistry, psychotherapy, physiotherapy, dietetics, chiropody and podiatry, massage therapy, optometry, pharmacy, and chiropractic care. Most Canadian provinces acknowledge the same services as regulated health care.
Getting an ambulance in Canada will also mail you a hefty bill. I learned this hard in the summer of 2014 when a friend called an ambulance on my behalf. Months later, I received a bill for $115 during a financially difficult time when I was relocating to Ontario from Newfoundland.
However, if you have extended health coverage, you may not have to worry about these costs. But how does extended coverage work, and why is it important to read the fine print if your job offers benefits? We’ll answer these questions in another article and do a comparative analysis of different insurance plans while helping you decide if you need to acquire individual coverage in addition to your employer’s plan.
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