Well, the clinics are far better managed, better equipped, pay health professionals far better and are non-Union. If Govt pays the same its better for patients in the end.
Sure. But because of political reasons and such they're reluctant to expand that and worse they won't allow people to go and deal with them directly either through their own money or through insurance. They only allow a limited number and cap the various services they offer. So while it's a good thing we have them they're no where even close to what their potential can be.
Imagine if you could buy insurance that said "if the gov't can't do a hip replacement for you in less than 18 months then we'll pay for it directly at a private clinic". Thoroughly illegal right now but imagine. Knowing that private clinics would pop up and it would be worth investing the money to be able to provide such services privately. That way if the gov't failed to provide, the private sector could provide. That's the kind of thing they're talking about.
There's a compex reason why it's hard for the gov't to make adjustments on the fly based on need, they have to play a very long term game and funding from the feds is rarely guaranteed. But the private sector is much more flexible.
Too many stubbed toes, runny noses and addicts costing Provinces 4X as much as what a clinic charges are gobbling resources at ED or Trauma.
That is absolutely the truth. When something is "free" people tend to waste it.
