It’s no secret that waiting lists for operations in Canada are constantly growing due to unresolved health problems.
However, not everyone has the time and opportunity to wait six months or more to receive medical intervention. What are the ways to get to the operation faster?
Private clinics across Canada advertise to potential patients that they can have surgeries within a few weeks, the wait for which is usually six months or more according to provincial health plans. The cost of one hip or knee replacement surgery ranges from $20,000 to $28,000, depending on the clinic.
Hip and knee replacements are one of the most frequently performed surgeries in the Canadian healthcare system, as well as one of the longest waiting times.
According to the Canadian Institute of Medical Information (CIHI), hospitals performed almost 139,000 joint replacement surgeries in 2019-2020. According to the results of the study, the average cost of one operation is $12,223, which means that private clinics charge patients about twice as much as the operation costs under the provincial health insurance system.
After the COVID-19 pandemic led to increased waiting times for surgeries, there is some evidence that an increasing number of Canadians are forking out to pay for private clinics.
Nevertheless, there is one catch for such patients: they will most likely have to leave their home province to perform the operation.
The Health Care Act of Canada prohibits the issuance of additional bills. This means that doctors are prohibited from charging patients more than Medicare provides for an “insured service” – any medically necessary procedure that is covered by provincial health plans.
