Privatization is running rampant in Canada’s health care system and it is affecting patient outcomes from coast to coast. CUPE has produced a report looking at the problem and proposing solutions.
The privatization trend is driven by a federal government that has underfunded the health care system for decades and provincial governments that are taking money out of the public system and directing it to for-profit corporations. Though supporters of privatization say it will solve problems in health care, experience shows us the opposite is true. Public solutions deliver more, cost less and cover everyone.
The report examines the most common types of privatization people are seeing across the country, including:
- Illegal use fees
- Private staffing agencies
- Public funding directed to for-profit facilities
- For profit long-term care
- Costly public-private partnerships
- Virtual care and artificial intelligence
Health Care Privatization in Canada is a call to action. Privatization is not a viable solution to the health care crisis in this country. It consistently leads to higher costs for patients and governments, worse health outcomes and poor working conditions. The report calls on government at all levels to stop the move toward for-profit, two-tier health care and to recommit to the principles of a universal, accessible, properly-funded public system.
Download or order a printed copy of the report.
