Canadians believe wait times and the shortage of doctors are the most important health issues, according to a survey.
The 10th annual edition of the Health Care in Canada Survey finds that wait times (20%), doctor shortages (19%) and an aging population (8%) are the most important health issues in the country.
More than half (57%) of all Canadians feel that we are receiving quality healthcare services in Canada. This hasn’t changed significantly since 2002. And 48% believe that access to timely, quality healthcare will either improve significantly or somewhat over the next five years—the highest level since the question first appeared in 2002. Still, Canadians are concerned about poor access to family doctors and specialists.
The survey also finds that if more money was needed to improve the healthcare system, 13% said they would support having the public buy supplemental, private health insurance to cover a portion of the cost of healthcare, either directly themselves or through their employer.
When it comes to pharmaceuticals, Canadians expect most of the cost to be covered by employers or public health plans.
Approximately three-quarters (76%) of Canadians strongly agree that if a health professional prescribes a new medication or vaccine it should be covered by a person’s drug plan. And when asked if the cost of new cancer drugs should not be covered by public or private drug plans, 65% say they strongly disagree.
There are more results from the survey in this month’s issue of Benefits Canada.
To view all the survey results, click here.
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