Millions of Canadians are waiting for essential medical care, and nearly half are choosing to stay home instead of seeking treatment.
For the first time in 30 years, Canada’s healthcare system is experiencing the longest recorded wait times for essential medical procedures. More than one in eight Canadians—millions of people—are currently waiting for surgery, a diagnostic scan, or an appointment with a specialist.
These delays have devastating consequences. Patients endure chronic pain, lost time with loved ones, and even death while waiting for treatment. According to SecondStreet.org, a Canadian think tank, over 60,000 patients have died while on waitlists.
However, one of the most concerning trends is that nearly half of Canadians (47%) are now choosing to avoid the healthcare system altogether, according to new polling data from SecondStreet.org. This raises an urgent question: If tens of thousands of patients are dying while waiting for care, what happens to those who never seek treatment at all?
Why Are Canadians Avoiding the Healthcare System?
The average wait time for care in Canada is now over six months—an unsustainable delay that is pushing many to either seek private care, travel abroad, or simply go without treatment.
Many Canadians are already paying out of pocket for private medical services, with 11% choosing to bypass the public system entirely. Notably, this number is consistent across income levels, with even 9% of the lowest earners finding ways to pay for private care.
With confidence in the healthcare system deteriorating, it’s clear that more choice and flexibility are needed. But what solutions could actually work?
A European Model That Could Work in Canada
One potential solution already exists in Europe: the Cross Border Directive. This policy allows patients in the European Union to travel to another EU country for medical care and be reimbursed by their home government—up to the cost of what their home country would have spent to provide the treatment.
This approach offers several advantages:
- It reduces wait times by expanding access to care across borders.
- Patients retain control over their healthcare decisions, choosing providers based on availability and quality rather than geographic restrictions.
- It does not undermine universal healthcare, as patients still receive government-funded treatment.
Unsurprisingly, nearly three in four Canadians support adopting a similar policy, according to SecondStreet.org’s polling.
Could Canada Adopt a Cross Border Healthcare Policy?
The good news for policymakers is that a Canadian version of the Cross Border Directive would already comply with the Canada Health Act. Some provinces have even used similar models in one-off cases where local healthcare services were unavailable.
For example, earlier this year, an Ontario court ruled that taxpayers were required to fund a private surgery in Texas for a gender-affirming procedure. If public funds can be used to cover a private surgery abroad in this case, why not do the same for patients waiting months for knee or hip replacements?
A Pilot Program Could Be the First Step
If Canadian governments are hesitant to implement a full Cross Border Directive, a pilot program could be a viable alternative. This could start by covering a small number of high-demand procedures—such as knee and hip replacements, which face severe backlogs across the country.
If successful, the program could expand to include other urgent procedures, giving patients more choice while helping to alleviate strain on the healthcare system.
The Risk of Inaction
Canada’s healthcare system is at a breaking point. Millions are waiting for care, thousands are dying while waiting, and nearly half of Canadians no longer trust the system enough to seek treatment.
Implementing a flexible, patient-first approach like the Cross Border Directive—or at least piloting a version of it—could give Canadians the choices they need without dismantling universal healthcare.
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From Western Standard