Myth: User fees would stop waste and ensure better use of the healthcare system.

There’s an old idea that frequently sparks debate: that patients rampantly abuse the healthcare system. They indulge in unnecessary, expensive medical procedures all because they can get them for free. So why not teach Canadians to be more responsible by making them pay a charge for every health service used? Because the idea just doesn’t hold water. Research has long proven that user fees won’t eliminate inappropriate care nor do much to reduce costs, and even the claim that patients waste healthcare resources is faulty.

Myth: A parallel private system would reduce waiting times in the public system.

Public, provincial and federal leaders have vowed to do something about long waiting times, but they face many conflicting suggestions on how to fix the problem. One frequent suggestion is to create a parallel private healthcare system — specifically, allowing private facilities to operate alongside public ones, so that patients who can afford to pay privately do so. Proponents argue that private spending will both increase total funding available for healthcare and free up places in the queue for public services, so that everyone can get faster treatment. According to these critics, Canada is one of the last countries to resist the logical evolution to a mixed-payer system. It’s only a matter of time, they argue, before Canada gets it and joins the rest of the crowd.

Myth: Canada's system of healthcare financing is unsustainable.

Talking about the financial sustainability of medicare — Canada’s taxpayer-financed insurance plans for hospital and physician care — has long been considered “the national pastime”. Nonetheless, financial sustainability is usually framed as a recent phenomenon, the result of a comprehensive health system attempting to meet the growing needs of an aging population. Those who argue the system is unsustainable point to public funding and administration as part of the problem, rather than the solution. Their proposed remedy is quite simple — Canadians can accept less-comprehensive public health insurance, with more services being paid for out-of-pocket or by private insurance. However, as simple as this solution may be, it ignores the facts about which costs are rising and by how much; the ability of medicare to adapt; international evidence; and, most importantly, the wants and needs of Canadians.

Myth: For-profit ownership of facilities would lead to a more efficient healthcare system.

While enthusiasts argue that for-profit facilities can provide medical services more efficiently and with a lower price tag, the vast majority of studies shows the exact opposite. Research demonstrates that waiting lists and costs aren’t reduced with private forprofit contracts — and American literature indicates that patients who receive care in for-profit facilities are more likely to die than those in non-profit ones.

Myth: Canada has a communist-style healthcare system.

Is private provision of healthcare a crime in Canada? Is it illegal to pay for healthcare out of your own pocket? Many critics of Canadian healthcare argue the answer to both these questions is “yes” and claim that every time a patient waits for a service or access to technology, it is a result of Canada’s communist-style healthcare system.