Canadians Concerned About Effect of Aging on Health Care System
Aug 26, 2010
The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) has recently released its 10th edition of the National Report Card on Health Care. At the top of the list of concerns among Canadians is the fear that the quality of health care in the country will decline as a result of increased strain on the health care system as the baby boom generation gets older.
A full 80 percent of the Canadians surveyed expressed this as a significant concern. There are also widespread fears – by close to 75 percent of respondents – that growing health costs will result in substantial tax hikes and the inability of seniors to afford health care as they age.
Interestingly, the report also shows significant support for user fees and having wealthier Canadians pay more out-of-pocket in order to reduce the impact of caring for a growing population of seniors. Somewhat unsurprisingly, younger Canadians in particular (those born after 1966) were shown to be more open to the idea of adapting to the pressures on the medicare system by purchasing private health insurance as a supplement to publicly provided care. Furthermore, 72 percent of those polled expressed concern that they will not have enough money to maintain their health as they get older.
In addition to concerns about the effect of baby boomers on the system, the fact that Canadians are living longer in general was expressed as a concern with regard to the strain placed on the health care system. When asked to rank who or what is most responsible for increased demand for health-care services, respondents indicated that individual Canadians not taking responsibility for their own health, higher demands and expectations by all Canadians, and new medical advances were also areas of concern.
The authors of the study accept this argument that the current health system cannot meet future needs. And it is possible that the report’s questions were designed to reach this conclusion, given that the CMA is a lobby group with an obvious point of view in these matters.
The report goes on to call for significant changes to Canada’s health care system, including a universal prescription drug plan, a charter that enshrines the rights of patients, an independent body that can monitor whether health care dollars are being spent “efficiently,” and monetary incentives for doctors and hospitals to treat more patients.
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