Canadians lost a combined $1.1 billion, or an average of $1,202 per patient, as a result of lengthy waits for medically necessary healthcare in 2013, according to a study.
The Fraser Institute study, The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, calculates the average value of time lost during the workweek for each of the estimated 928,120 patients waiting for surgery in Canada last year.
When calculations include hours outside the workweek—evenings and weekends, excluding eight hours of sleep per night—the estimated cost of waiting jumps from $1.1 billion to $3.4 billion, or an average of $3,681 per patient.
“The negative impact of wait times on the productivity of patients and their ability to participate fully in life is an issue too often ignored in the healthcare debate,” says Nadeem Esmail, study author and Fraser Institute director of health policy studies. “Reduced productivity in the workplace, or reduced ability to engage with family and friends, may impact family income and increase stress for Canadian patients.”
Despite a period of improvement (2004 to 2009) in both wait times (from specialist to treatment) and the private cost of waiting, notes the study, since 2009 wait times have increased along with the cost borne by patients. Consequently, the private cost of waiting is now 2% higher (after inflation) than in 2004.
Among the provinces, residents of Saskatchewan faced the highest private cost of waiting per patient ($2,022), followed by Manitoba ($1,977) and Nova Scotia ($1,732). Patients in Ontario endured the lowest private cost of waiting ($867), followed by Quebec ($1,079) and British Columbia ($1,191).