Half of Canadians Interested in Private Health Insurance in Parallel to Public System: Poll

A bed in need of cleaning is moved in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at St. Paul's hospital in downtown Vancouver on April 21, 2020. The Canadian Press/Jonathan Hayward

Nearly half of Canadians would be open to having private health care insurance coverage while simultaneously keeping the public system intact, according to a new poll.

The poll, commissioned by SecondStreet.org and conducted by Léger, examined the level of interest among Canadians in private health care insurance. The survey results were published in a policy brief.

The report said 48 percent of survey participants said they are “interested in learning more about comprehensive private insurance.” Researchers also found that when presented with the current market rates for health care insurance, 32 percent of respondents said they would opt for coverage.

Thirty-eight percent said they would not be interested in private health insurance and 13 percent said they didn’t know.

Slightly more men appeared willing to purchase private insurance, with 49 percent demonstrating an interest compared to 46 percent of women.

SecondStreet noted that over 6 million Canadians don’t have a family doctor, and 5.2 million are on waitlist for a medical procedure. Having access to private health care insurance could reduce these numbers, the brief said.

The Canadian Medical Association (CMA) released a draft policy last year that it said seeks to find balance between publicly funded and private health care.

The CMA said that it had spoken to 10,000 doctors, patients, and health care providers prior to developing the draft policy.

“There was acknowledgement that private health providers funded by government are helping to address gaps in certain areas of health care, but also that in some circumstances, this occurs at the expense of the public system,” CMA said in July 2024.

The CMA used the draft policy to put together recommendations for Canada’s public health care system.

“Evidence from other countries shows the introduction of private duplicate health insurance creates significant inequities to access health care, draws resources away from the public system and leads to higher overall health spending,” CMA said.

However, Harrison Fleming, the report’s author and legislative and policy director at SecondStreet.org, noted that based on the numbers, Canadians who opt for private health insurance would pay $21.6 billion each year, which could lead to job creation for the industry.

He also wrote that private health services in Canada could improve the public system by allowing some patients who are currently required to use public health care to opt for private care, leaving more room for patients who need to rely on public system.

Fleming noted a private health care option would be similar to the structure of Canada’s education system, which allows parents a choice of schools for their children. The majority of parents still opt for public schools, while some opt for private schools, and others decide to homeschool, he wrote.

He said that in the United Kingdom, there were programs and requirements for health care professionals to work in the public system before being permitted to provide private care. If Canada used similar measures, it could help retain more professionals, Fleming wrote in the brief.

“Thousands of Canadian health workers have either moved to the U.S. or they commute there for work. Keeping our public system, but allowing private health insurance could mean more jobs and those workers could stay in Canada,” SecondStreet.org President Colin Craig said in a release on the survey.

“Alternatively, some in the public system, such as surgeons whose operating time is rationed by the government, could supplement their income at non-government clinics on the side.”

Fleming concluded by recommending policymakers consider “measured, responsible reforms” to provide more health care options, while maintaining a public system.

“Nearly every other country that offers government-run health care can do it, and Canada can too,” he wrote.

The Leger poll was conducted from Dec. 13–16, 2024. Approximately 1,515 people responded online.