CANADA SEES BOOM IN PRIVATE HEALTH CARE BUSINESS

Facing long waits and substandard care, private clinics are proving that Canadians are willing to pay for treatment. Critics lament the shortage of doctors as patients flood the system, resulting in long waits for some treatment. Health care delivery in Canada falls largely under provincial jurisdiction, complicating matters:

• Private for-profit clinics are permitted in some provinces and not allowed in others.
• Under the Canada Health Act, privately run facilities cannot charge citizens for services covered by government insurance.
• But a 2005 Supreme Court ruling in Quebec opened the door for patients facing unreasonable wait times to pay-out-of-pocket for private treatment.

"I think there is a fundamental shift in different parts of the country that's beginning to happen. I think people are beginning to realize that they should have a choice,"

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image toon - hcare = Oby asking patient to wait for committee decision