Healthcare becomes unaffordable for majority of Canadians

Canada, 26th January: High costs of healthcare in Canada is making it things difficult for not just Canadians but immigrants too.

Nearly one out of every ten Canadians are finding it difficult to afford prescribed medicines, findings of a recent study reveal. And the reason is majority of them are not having health insurance for enabling them pay medical costs in Canada.

Canada healthcare unaffordable--The study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) reveals that out of every four Canadians, nearly one is finding it tough to afford medications due to lack of private or work drug insurance.

The study has been undertaken by University of British Columbia and University of Toronto researchers. It is based on 5,700 respondents.

Findings show that nearly 9.6 percent of survey participants failed to have prescribed medications either due to heavy costs or just to save their money.

Lack of healthcare insurance major reason for skipping prescribed drugs—Not having health insurance in Canada was cited to be a primary reason by a major percentage of Canadians during the study. High costs of medications along with no health insurance increased the number of Canadians avoiding prescribed drugs by around 4.5 times. The study further found that the number of Canadians with health insurance expressing inability to afford high costs of medicines was just 6.8 percent compared to 26 percent of Canadians without health insurance finding it difficult to afford buying prescription drugs.

Another reason cited by survey respondents for avoiding taking medicines prescribed by their physicians is said to be lower income. Their number was nearly 3.3 times higher in not buying prescribed drugs than those earning high income.

Benefits of Canada health insurance--Having health insurance in Canada has numerous advantages for Canadians as well as Canada permanent residents. It saves one from paying directly for a large chunk of health care services in Canada.

Such health care costs get paid through the taxes. One simply needs to have a health card for using Canada healthcare services and this card can be used at medical clinic or the hospital.

Apply for Canada public health insurance at the earliest—Hence, it is advisable for immigrants to apply for Canada health insurance card at the earliest after arriving in Canada. Application form for a Canada health card can be obtained from any immigrant-serving organization, a pharmacy or a hospital.

Moreover, forms can also be obtained online from a concerned ministry responsible for health care of the territory or your province in Canada.