Across Ontario, people will be protesting the privatization of our health care on Thursday, May 30 at noon.

In Toronto, people will be gathering at noon to march from Nathan Phillips Square to the Ontario Legislature at Queen's Park.

Click here to learn more.

In Canada, medically necessary health care is supposed to be provided based on need, not how much a patient can afford.

For years, the Ontario government has been underfunding our health care system by billions. This has meant you have to wait longer to get the care you need.

They’re trying to “fix” this by handing over your health care to for-profit clinics. Research has shown that this will actually end up costing you more – in taxes, additional service fees and often travel costs.

And if you can’t afford to pay? You will wait longer for care. It’s a slippery slope that leads to a system of care very similar to that in the USA. A health care system where the first thing a patient and their loved ones has to think is “can we afford this?”

The Ontario government is trying to cut costs the same way stores do. They cut the staff. This means that operating rooms are not open as much as they could be. To save money they are closing operating rooms in the evening and weekends – and sometime permanently. This just makes it even harder for patients to get care when they need it. 

This government is building demand for for-profit healthcare. For-profit clinics will be taking the same staff that are currently working in our public hospitals. This will make wait times for public, tax-paid healthcare even longer.

People that have money will be able to jump to the front of the line using their credit card. The patient with the most urgent need will have to wait longer.

For-profit healthcare is a business that demands profit - just like a grocery store. It has been proven that for-profit healthcare costs more than twice as much as public health care.

Generations have worked to make healthcare here for everyone – regardless of income. In Canada, the law says that health care is provided by need. 

Moving to a for-profit healthcare model will make wait times longer and will make staff shortages even worse.

Keeping healthcare OHIP funded – not letting people use their credit card to jump the line – will keep things fair. Medical need must continue to be the deciding factor, not income.

Getting surgery shouldn’t be like buying a used car. You should be able to trust that you are going to get the same level of care regardless of your income. 

We have seen (both in Canada and in other countries) that when for-profit clinics are introduced to the public healthcare system, the need to make a profit overshadows the needs of the patient. 

Patients are strongly encouraged to pay for unnecessary tests and other extras so that clinics can increase their profit. Just like how when you take a car in for an oil change, several other services will be recommended.

OHIP only covers medically necessary care, so these additional costs have to be paid directly by the patient. Talk about sticker shock.