Socialized Medicine in Canada: A Personal Perspective

Barbara Schneiderman

Population Comparisons

Source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

33.4 million

307.2 million

Canada’s Socialized Medicine Timeline

Source: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hcs-sss/pubs/system-regime/2005-hcs-sss/time-chron_e.html

How Canadian social systems are funded

Taxable Income($)

Quebec Tax Rate(%)

Federal Tax Rate(%)

Combined Tax Rate(%)

0-9,600 0.00 0.00 0.00

9,601-12,181 0.00 12.53 12.53

12,182-29,290

16.00 12.53 28.53

29,291-37,178

20.00 12.53 32.53

37,179-58,595

20.00 18.37 38.37

58,597-74,357

24.00 18.37 42.37

74,358-120,887

24.00 21.71 45.71

>120,887 24.00 24.22 48.22

Source: Berish, Howard, FCA. “2007 Year End Tax Planning.” SNG Collins Barrow, 2007.

Sales TaxesGST: 5% PST: 7.5%

Where your taxes go…

2. Intelligence Repot. Parade Magazine. March 16, 2008. www.Parade.com/intel1. http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/bailouttracker/

Where your salary goes…

Gross Income

Social Security

Medical

Federal Income Tax

State Income Tax (CO)

NET INCOME

Gross Income

Quebec Pension Plan

Quebec Parental Insurance Plan

Employment Insurance Commission

Federal Income Tax

Provincial Income Tax (QC)

NET INCOME

Canada (50K)

$50,000

(2,119)

(242)

(584)

(5,127)

(6,205)

$35,724

USA (50K)

$50,000

(3,100)

(725)

(5,206)

(1,780)

$39,189

Where your salary goes…

Gross Income

Social Security

Medical

Federal Income Tax

State Income Tax (CO)

NET INCOME

Gross Income

Quebec Pension Plan

Quebec Parental Insurance Plan

Employment Insurance Commission

Federal Income Tax

Provincial Income Tax (QC)

NET INCOME

Canada (100K)

$100,000

(2,119)

(300)

(584)

(15,028)

(17,019)

$64,951

USA (100K)

$100,000

(6,200

(1,450)

(17,194)

(4,098)

$71,058

Government Health Care Spending as a Percentage of GDP

Country 2002 2025 2050

Australia 6.4% 11.5% 21.1

Austria 5.4 8.3 13.0

Canada 6.7 9.5 13.5

Germany 8.6 14.7 25.6

Japan 6.7 11.7 18.2

Norway 8.0 13.9 25.0

Spain 5.5 10.5 21.4

Sweden 7.9 10.2 12.9

United Kingdom

6.4 10.0 16.0

United States 6.6 13.8 32.7

Source: “Projecting the Past into the Future.” National Center for Policy Analysis. December 2005.

Choosing no treatment due to cost

Source: 2004 Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey

Canada

Unit

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tate

s

Unit

ed S

tate

s

Canada

Benchmark Wait Times in Canada

Source: “Waiting for Access” CBC News. November 29, 2006, http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/healthcare/waiting.html

Procedure Wait Time Benchmark

Notes

Radiation therapy (cancer)

Within 4 weeksPatient ready to

treat

Hip fracture Within 48 hours

Hip/Knee replacements

Within 26 weeks

Cataract surgery Within 16 weeks High risk patients

Breast cancer screenings

Once every 2 years Women ages 50-69

Cervical cancer screenings

Once every 3 yearsWomen ages 18-69, after 2 normal tests

Cardiac bypass Within 2-26 weeksDepending on

severity

Personal Stories

Auntie G73 year old single female, kidney tumor

Mother54 year old female, lymphoma

Uncle I. 79 year old male, gastroenterologist, lung cancer

Brother49 year old male, stem cell transplant, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Giving birth in CanadaTimeframes and Caps

Two cases of heart valve replacement78 & 83 year old females

Premier Robert BourassaMelanoma treatmentNational Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland

George ZeliotisSupreme Court of Canada: Wait times violate Quebec’s charter of rights & freedoms

Conclusions

You Decide!!