Summary: The Impact Of Aging Population On Canadian Healthcare System

Health care expenditure accounted for an estimated 11% (214.9 billion) of Canada’s GDP in 2014 (CIHI, 2014). Canada boasts a universal, cost-effective and fair health care system to its citizens (Picard, 2010). However, despite great claims and large expenses incurred Canada’s health care system has been reported inefficient in it’s delivery to the population (Davis, Schoen, & Stremikis, 2010; Picard, 2010). As inconsistencies exist in health care delivery across the country, choosing priorities for the health of the Canadian people becomes of vital importance. In Ontario, progress toward a better health care system has been stated to be moving forward by putting the needs of the “patient’s first” (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care [MOHLTC], 2015). This policy brief will give a background of health care issues in Canada related to Ontario. Three evidence-based priorities will be suggested for Ontario’s health policy agenda for the next three to five years. Furthermore, through a critical analysis of these issues a recommendation of the top priority issue for the agenda will be presented.

Rising health care costs and population aging has fuelled the debate about the financial sustainability of Canada’s healthcare system. This demographic change in the Canadian society will deeply impact on all aspects of social, economic, and political factors. The extensive use of health care by the seniors has put a heavy burden on the universal health care system. This paper will closely analyze the sustainability of the Canadian healthcare system and the challenges our government has to face as our population ages and uses more of the healthcare expenditure. By examining the issue of health care sustainability, this paper will also propose recommendations and explore the implications of those recommendations.

When asked to describe what makes Canada unique compared to other countries, many outsiders might yell out “Hockey!” “Cold Weather!” or “Free Health Care!.” Health care is definitely one of Canada’s most noticeable trademarks when compared to the United States, but the reality is that our health care services are not what they are made out to be. Canadians tend to take pride in the fact that they have a Government funded health care system, but the system is failing at a rapid pace. One can gage the quality of health care in our country while at the emergency ward in any hospital, where most Canadians realize its downsides. The Government spends most of its budget towards health care but Canadians are not feeling an improvement. Waiting

I have identified the aging population (greater than 55 years of age) in Chatham/Kent, Ontario (in a community I am familiar and work within); a population on the rise and with minimal government and Ministry of Health support that enables seniors to maintain quality of life,

In the article, “Parting at the Crossroads: The Development of Health Insurance in Canada and the United States” the author Antonia Maioni argues various points as to why Canada and the United States of America have such different approaches to targeting the healthcare system. The topics covered by Maioni included, “Health Reform in Canada: The Role of the CCF-NDP”. Here Maioni discuses in great detail, the historical background to how Canada got to where they are in the health system through the ups and downs that occurred in Parliament due to “the public demand for action on medical insurance” which was influenced by the highly successful medical insurance program that existed in Saskatchewan post-world war. It goes to show, that the passing

Canadians often find a great source of pride in our health care system because it is “free”. When living next to a country that loudly boasts about its freedom and other such aspects, it is hard to stand out on a global level. That is why most citizens are misguided when they try to compare our health system to that of the United States. Indeed, if you look at the facts, we do have a better system but it is quite irrelevant to compare the two since we are both organized and financed differently. The United States spends more money on their system but does not reap the benefits that more money should offer. Often, the only gain from the comparison is a political one. The federal government’s as well as the provincial governments’ funding has lead to the provinces being too hospital heavy, meaning that there aren 't enough low cost/more efficient facilities in existence such as long-term care facilities, which causes more patients to go to the hospital, which in turn causes more money to be spent than if the patient had been able to go elsewhere. Two key reasons why our health care system is so expensive are the cost of the drugs and the compensation that doctors receive. In order to keep up with the rising cost of our health care, Dalton McGuinty privatized services like physiotherapy and optometry and, “…Also froze the budgets of twelve departments other than health. There was the classic health-care spending trifecta: higher

The Canadian health-care model is a system that is primarily funded by the government, with service principally delivered in non-profit hospitals, by doctors who are in private practice (para). Public health-care insurance as it is known today ..... dates back to the late 1950s (quote). Over the decades since, Canada 's model has evolved into a system that ranks highly based on the quality of care that is provided (para Washington post). In a recent survey, a strong majority of Canadians were satisfied with the Canadian model. (para gallop). While most Canadians are satisfied with the current system, the publicly funded model is not without fault.

The United States and Canada had similar health care system before Canada changed its system in the 1960s but now have a different mix of funding mechanisms. The basic difference between the two is in health insurance. Most assume Canada's system as socialized medicine which is not correct. Canada has a universal single-payer health care system which covers about 70% of health care costs. 75% of Canadian health care services are delivered privately, but are funded publicly. The Canada Health Act provides financial disincentives for using private insurance for publicly insured services and requires all insured people to be fully insured without copayments for all necessary hospital and physician

In recent years, health care reform has been a heated debate topic throughout the U.S. On March 23, 2010, the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” was signed into law(Health Care). During this same time period, the health care system just north of us, in Canada, has been renowned as the ideal system. The two systems can be compared by looking at the major features of each: provision of care, funding of coverage, and availability of coverage.

The Canadian healthcare system has been lagging behind other westernized countries except the United States in terms of quality, access, efficiency, and equity. According to a study by the CHSRF (Canadian Health Services Research Foundation), findings suggest substantially worse performance in Canada for: wait times for diagnostic tests, discharge reports, and being consulted in emergency departments. These issues are a generic sign of lack of system organization and support in Canada compared with other international jurisdictions (Katz, 2009). When searching for differences between different provinces in Canada in regards to access to a family doctor,

“Medicare is a Canadian success story. Not perfect, but good enough to be envied by much of the world.”

The primary purpose of Canadian hospitalization and physician insurance was to eliminate financial barriers to health care (Marmor, & Tenner, 1977). Canada’s success in controlling costs to individuals, however, was not matched by achievements in

Many know that Canada has a universal health, but they don’t fully understand the aspects of their health care system and how it works for them. Canada’s health care system is based around the Canada Health Act and aims to provide care for all medical necessary health services. With it being a universal health system it allow all citizens access to health care and that also means that it is publicly funded system. There has been many challenges that Canada has faces with the universal health system, but are continuing to find ways to improve their system for their citizens. As with any other countries health system there are pros and cons. Canada has found a system that work for them and they citizen and are continuing to ensure that their

Medicare is facing a fiscal crisis that threatens its sustainability. The need for significant Medicare reform is increasingly urgent as 76 million baby boomers are expected to retire over the next two decade. According to the 201 Medicare Trustees Report, the Hospital Insurance trust fund will be depleted in 2024. This translates to $27 trillion in unfunded liabilities over the next 75 years. Current projections indicate that health care costs will increase by more that 70 percent over the next ten years and will continue thereafter to consume an increasingly greater portion of personal income.

All health care in Canada is “free” for insured services, those provided through hospitals and physicians (O 'Neill, 2008). With the enactment of the Canada Health Act, citizens may choose their own family physician and do not have to pay premiums, deductibles, or co-payments. Other services such as prescription drugs or dental care must be paid for either out-of-pocket or through private insurances. Because of this “free” care, O’Neill (2008) argued that the demand for health care becomes unrestrained causing costs to surge. This inexplicably triggered shortages in all provinces and explicit rationing had to be implemented in Canada for certain medical treatments and technology (O’Neill, 2008). The high demand and severe shortages caused a large increase in private facilities providing core services.