Fraser Institute News Release: B.C. government can pursue major health-care reforms without Ottawa's consent

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 28, 2025 /CNW/ - The British Columbia government can enact major health-care reforms—without approval from the federal government—that could shorten wait times and improve patient care, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.

"These are things the province can do right now, without approval from Ottawa, to improve B.C.'s crumbling health-care system," said Bacchus Barua, director of health policy studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of Health-Care Reform Options for British Columbia.

In 2023, B.C. was one of the highest spenders (per person) on health care among the provinces outside Atlantic Canada—yet at 27.7 weeks experienced its longest median wait time for non-emergency care since 1993 (the first year wait times data were published). To improve the system and shorten wait times, the B.C. government should:

• Increase the use of private clinics and surgical centres to deliver care paid for by the public system, to increase capacity and create more competition between health-care providers.
• Pay hospitals for actual services provided, to incentivize treatment and efficiency, and ensure money follows patients.
• Refer patients to a pool of specialists, rather than only one particular specialist to provide more choice and potentially shorten wait times.

"If the B.C. government wants to shorten wait times and improve the quality of care, it should swiftly enact reforms that have been successful in other provinces and many high-income countries with universal health care," said Mackenzie Moir, senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute and study co-author.

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The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit www.fraserinstitute.org

SOURCE The Fraser Institute

MEDIA CONTACTS: Bacchus Barua, Director, Health Policy Studies, Fraser Institute, Mackenzie Moir, Senior Policy Analyst, Fraser Institute; To arrange media interviews or for more information, please contact: Mark Hasiuk, Senior Media Relations Specialist, 604-688-0221 ext. 517, [email protected]