Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNewsCanadaAllowing private health insurance for basic care could reduce wait times, expand hospital beds: reportIn Denmark, the increasing use of private health insurance and private hospitals coincided with a 36.7 per cent drop in wait times You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.A new report notes that Denmark and Australia have already seen positive results from expanding duplicative insurance. Photo by VILevi /Getty Images/iStockphotoOTTAWA — A new report estimates that allowing Canadians to take out private insurance for basic health care services covered by public plans could ultimately lead to double-digit reductions in patient wait times, based on policies enacted in similar countries.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe report, released Thursday by the Montreal Economic Institute, urges provincial governments to scrap legal barriers to duplicative private health insurance, which would allow patients to use private coverage for publicly insured procedures, including faster access at private hospitals and clinics.“Allowing duplicate insurance to cover privately delivered medically necessary services … would formalize and broaden access to timely care while facilitating investment in private infrastructure, thereby increasing overall healthcare system capacity,” writes the report’s author, Conrad Eder, an associate researcher MEI.Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againThe report notes that Denmark and Australia have already seen positive results from expanding duplicative insurance. Both countries, like Canada, maintain universal, taxpayer-funded health-care systems.In Denmark, the increasing use of private health insurance and private hospitals coincided with a 36.7 per cent reduction in surgical wait times between 2001 and 2011.In Australia, the provision of duplicative insurance, known domestically as “hospital cover,” has coincided with steady growth in the number of private hospital beds and modest reductions in public hospital wait times.Australia’s private hospitals now cover more than 40 per cent of all hospital admissions and deliver approximately 70 per cent of elective surgeries.Approximately 45 per cent of Australians hold “hospital cover” insurance policies, with typical monthly premiums ranging from $84 to $293 in Canadian dollars.Duplicative insurance is not explicitly prohibited under the federal Canada Health Act. However, six provinces functionally ban it for core health services. This includes British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, which allows a partial exception for cataract extensions and hip and knee replacements.Emmanuelle Faubert, MEI’s lead health policy researcher, said that the viability on duplicative insurance in the Canadian market will largely depend on the expansion of private health services.Faubert says that provinces that allow private medical practice, such as Alberta and Quebec, currently do so in too limited of a capacity to sustain a robust, competitive market for private insurance.“You need a large, diversified pool of premium-paying policyholders for the private insurance market to survive and thrive,” said Faubert. “Realistically, this isn’t going to happen if you only allow private hospitals to perform a small number of elective procedures.”Faubert noted that, while it’s been two decades since the Supreme Court ruled in 2005 that Quebec could not ban private health insurance for medically necessary services, such as elective procedures, private carriers haven’t exactly been flocking to the province.“Essentially, Quebec ended up saying you can buy private insurance, but only for hip, knee and cataract surgeries … but the pool of people interested in getting coverage for these three specific surgeries isn’t big or diversified enough for the insurance companies to take interest,” said Faubert.The Alberta government has likewise indicated that family physicians and emergency and life-saving procedures will stay entirely within the public system as it builds out its dual practice health model.Faubert says she understands the aversion many Canadians have to patients paying out of pocket for a higher standard of primary care, but adds that those with the means to do so are already “jumping the queue” by travelling out of province and internationally for care.“We have to be honest about this,” said Faubert. “Duplicative private health insurance actually bridges the gap (and) allows more people to have access to timely care.”Faubert added that duplicative insurance would indirectly help non-users by reducing wait times in the public system.Some 1.4 million Canadians sat on waiting lists for a medical procedure last year, with an average wait time of 28.6 weeks, according to the Fraser Institute.Data obtained through freedom of information requests show that at least 23,746 Canadians died while waiting for surgeries and diagnostic procedures between April 2024 and March 2025.National Postrmohamed@postmedia.comOur website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. 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