Private Costs of Waiting for Surgery

Canadians know very well that oftentimes non-urgent medical care known as elective surgeries, requires waiting. Sometimes this waiting turns into months and years. We know that medical wait times can result in worsening of a condition, mental anguish and possibly more complex surgeries.

However, there are other costs, such as loss of productivity and therefore, in many cases, income. Fraser Institute did some work of what the numbers may look like, accounting for only those hours lost during the average work week. They estimated the value of time lost while waiting for treatment. According to the report released on April 13^th, “the estimated cost of waiting for care in Canada for patients who were in the queue in 2020 was almost $2.8 billion—an average of about $2,254 for each of the estimated 1,224,198 Canadians waiting for treatment in 2020. “

This does not account for the cost of care provided by family members (and therefore, their productivity loss) or hired help. It also does not account for often prescribed pain killers that can be addictive. Or the state of mental health of someone waiting in pain.

When it comes to waiting, consider what that means for you and your family’s bottom line and mental health. You can have a new car or a new hip, if you choose to go the private route. Which one would you choose?

If you are wondering how much would it cost to have a private surgery, we are only a phone call away, toll free 877 344 3544.