Canadian patients should be allowed to seek medical care abroad and receive government reimbursement to help reduce long wait times for surgery, according to a new economic note published by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) and SecondStreet.org“Long waiting times for surgery in Canada have damaging effects on patients’ health and quality of life,” said Frederik Cyrus Roeder, a health economist and author of the study. “Allowing Canadian patients to seek treatment elsewhere would help them regain their health, while breaking the cycle of constant catching up in Canadian healthcare systems.”The study highlights the European model of cross-border healthcare, where since 2011, patients in the European Union have been permitted to seek medical treatment in any EU country and receive reimbursement from their national health insurance for costs comparable to treatment back home. In 2022, 450,000 European patients took advantage of this system, with nearly 80% of requests for surgery abroad approved.Roeder explained that the success of Europe’s cross-border directive lies in its ability to act as a “safety valve” for overburdened healthcare systems. "Such a system is no more expensive for the public insurer because the reimbursements provided cannot exceed the costs of delivering the same treatment in the local healthcare system,” Roeder said. "Patients are then free to turn to other alternatives without having to pay a stiff price.”In Canada, lengthy waits for surgery remain a critical issue. In 2023, over 40% of patients in need of knee replacements waited longer than the recommended time for their procedure, while one in three patients requiring hip replacements faced similar delays.“Even patients who don’t want to travel for treatment still benefit from this, as it helps shorten waiting lists,” added Roeder.The full joint study by MEI and SecondStreet.org is available here: Study Link.
