Canadians Leave Their Country For Better Health Care

[Geee]

Investors Business Daily:

Health Care: Where do Canadians go on vacation? The usual places. But many of them might also be found in unusual spots. And they're not there for fun. They're there to get medical treatment they can't get at home.

 

According to data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, as many as 41,838 Canadians — out of a population of about 35 million — left the country last year for health care treatment. More than 42,000 left in 2012, while more than 46,000 sought treatment elsewhere the year before.

 

Destinations, according to a University of Minnesota study that looked at Canadian companies that arrange medical tourism, include Costa Rica, India, Thailand and the U.S. Some companies even send clients to Mexico, Turkey, Poland and the Dominican Republic.

 

The Fraser Institute of Canada calls the 2013 figure a conservative estimate and, though some will argue otherwise, believes it is a sizable number, one that says something deeply damning about Canadian care.