Provinces tighten reins on health-care
Report finds spending increases slowing
Canada is set to record the smallest increase in healthcare spending since the late 1990s this year — though Alberta remains among the top provincial spenders per capita on its medical system, a new report finds.
According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, healthcare spending in Canada is expected to hit $207 billion in 2012.
Economic uncertainty and efforts to get better bang for health-care bucks means the amount Canada shells out on its medical system is set to grow by 3.1 per cent, the lowest since 1997 and the third straight year of slowed growth, states the CIHI report, released Tuesday.
As governments face budget deficits, they’re trying to rein in medical costs, said Jean He, CIHI program lead for health expenditures.
“We didn’t see activities like cutting or eliminating services like we’d seen in the 1990s. We do see governments from all levels working hard to control health-care costs,” He said.
Hospitals, drugs and physician services absorb the largest share of health-care cash.
In Alberta, the province spent $4,606 per person for health services — second only to Newfoundland and Labrador among the provinces. The lowest provincial spending was in Quebec, at $3,513 per capita.
Alberta Health Minister Fred Horne said Tuesday the province is putting more primary health care in communities instead of costlier hospitals — work that becomes more important as Canada experiences more chronic disease.
“When we look at performance across the globe, in the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) indicators, the top spenders don’t necessarily get the best outcomes,” he added.
“That’s true of Canada and true of Alberta.
“I’m pleased we had the resources to build new hospitals and buy more equipment like MRI machines but, ultimately, it’s how we organize and deliver the care that’s really going to make the difference.”
According to CIHI, Canada was among the seven OECD countries with the highest per capita spending on health by shelling out $4,445 US per capita — but the country spends just more than half the amount as the United States, which paid $8,233 US per person in 2010.
According to CIHI, population aging was only a “modest” cost driver, while growth came mostly from population growth and inflation.