I remember sitting in my Physiology class in University and listening to my professor rant about our health care. He estimated that the cost of health care in the next 20 years will be ridiculously high. His solution … the government should just buy everyone a treadmill which might help reduce and prevent some diseases like obesity. This would cost tax payers less money spent on health care in the long run. Was he right?
A report from the Fraser Institute, stated that the typical Canadian family of 4 (2 adults, 2 children) will spend $12 057 in health care in 2017. The estimate was based on their calculations on an average family of 4 with an income of $127 000/ year. They used data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information and Stats Canada. The Canadian Institute for Health Information also estimated that Canada will spend $242 billion on health care in 2017. https://www.cihi.ca/en/how-much-does-canada-spend-on-health-care-2017. These are all just estimates because no one really seems to know how much is spent on health care per person because there are so many factors that they need to take into consideration.
So what do we know? We do know that wait times are longer to see a specialist. We know that we are one of the top spenders in the world for health care. We know that hospitals, drugs and physicians are where most of the money is being spent. We know that it costs a lot for new technology in health care.
So do we have a great health care system in Canada? Some Canadian think so. Some even believe our health care is FREE and it doesn’t cost them a dime! Are we spending too much? Private vs. public health care? Would we spend less on health care if the government were to buy everyone a treadmill? Would people be more physically active and live a healthier lifestyle if we educating them properly ? Would we see a decrease in chronic illnesses and acute diseases if everyone had a treadmill? That seems far fetched to give everyone treadmills because there are so many other factors that have a role in our health … but it sure makes you think about how, as a society, can we help or prevent our illnesses so our future generations don’t have to pay so much in taxes and health care.