1. Private and Public Health Care
Overview of Canadian Practices
Dr. Asaad Qaddori

2. Discussion Plan
• Health Care Funding/ Delivery:
Private…………………Public
• The Canadian Version
• Changes: Proposals; Why now?
• Consequences of changes

3. Health Care Continuum
Funding
Delivery Public (governments : federal, Private(out-of-pocket, extended health
provincial, and municipal level) insurance, donations, capital and research)
Public -Hospital services - Charitable foundations and
-Rehabilitation services fundraising
(sometimes) - Out-of-pocket payments for
cosmetic surgery
Private -Physician services - Pharmaceuticals
(not-for-profit and
for profit)
(generally) - Dental care

4. How Canada Compares
Health Spending in Canada & Comparable Countries/2009
United
Canada France New Zealand United States
Kingdom
Private /Public 70% public 87% public 76% public 78% public 47% public
Split 30% private 13% private 24% private 22% private 53% private
Total health
care costs per $4363 $3487 $3978 $2983 $7960
capita

5. Cons of Status Quo
• Wait times
• Restrictions on privately funded health care
• Cross-border health care Canadians visiting the US to receive health
care and vice versa
• Funding

6. Private-For-Profit Health Care
• Politics
• Claims of Increased Public Health Spending
• Claims to improve care
• Claims to decrease waiting times

7. Privatization :
• Passive
• Proactive

8. Private Care Examples
• Shouldice Clinic : for out of ON patients
• CT and MRI Clinics
• P3 Hospitals : Public-Private Partnership (Private
profits-Public pays) !!

9. Opponents of Privatization
• Increase wait times
• Queue jumping /violations of the Canada Health Act
• Draw health care workers away from the public system
• Higher death rates and lower quality of care
• Cost more
• Offer unnecessary and potentially harmful treatments
• “Cream skim” healthier patients requiring less costly care
• Heighten inequalities
• Undermine Canada’s public health care system

10. Conclusions
• Privatization is not the answer
• Privatization change who is waiting
rather than the waiting time
• Health Care is a social service, and
sick patients can not be treated as
ordinary consumers in commercial
transactions
• Canada should not follow the failing
US example

11. Questions

12. Thank You