sethy Posted March 21, 2007 Report Share Posted March 21, 2007 Hi folks, As I was going through dozens of ethical questions in preparation for an interview, I came across a blatantly obvious (well, to me anyways...) one that I could not answer: How do you feel about professional athletes(or politicians or whoever...) being able to receive care faster than the rest of Canadians? I realize that I could go into a whole long-winded discussion about the underground two-tier healthcare system and all of that, but in order to give a complete answer to this question I need to know HOW athletes (or more specifically, their organizations) manage to get around the Canada Health Act and pay for private medical services. Searches both on the boards and the web have not been helpful. Any suggestions? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbtbmbtz Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Possibly by crossing the border. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbtbmbtz Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 They may also have team doctors which could allow for faster primary care. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drcave Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 The same way the get all the hot chicks........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curious P Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 I wouldn't be so quick on the assumption that all pro-athletes use private health care. Case in point with Andrea Bargnani (of the Toronto Raptors) who went to Mt Sinai hospital in TO yesterday to have his appendectomy. He could easily have afforded to go to a private clinic, but instead, trusted the public system. As for your original question - I, under no circumstances, believe in allowing individuals of a certain class (be that professional or economic) to queue-jump. Now, I understand that although a certain surgery may not be medically urgent, certain patients may want to pay for faster service since they find that the waiting is too much of an inconvenience on their lives. For such people, we do have private clinics in Canada (albeit only a few) and there's always the possibility of going abroad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethy Posted March 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 They may also have team doctors which could allow for faster primary care. True, but this is partly where I am confused. What is a team doctor? Would that not just be a physician who is practicing private medicine because they are being paid by the organization (ie. not by the government). And if they are being paid by a private organization, is that not considered a violation of laws which prevent physicians from receiving income from both the public and private sectors for medically necessary procedures? Here is another random thought. Is it possible that because most professional athletes are not residents of the province in which they work (or citizens of the country for that matter), their medical insurance is not covered by a provincial plan and as a result, they are free to pursue healthcare from whoever is willing to treat them? Sorry for the disjointed thoughts but I am just trying to resolve this issue for my own peace of mind. Thanks for any input you have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethy Posted March 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 I wouldn't be so quick on the assumption that all pro-athletes use private health care. Case in point with Andrea Bargnani (of the Toronto Raptors) who went to Mt Sinai hospital in TO yesterday to have his appendectomy. He could easily have afforded to go to a private clinic, but instead, trusted the public system. Yes, Bargnani was able to receive quick treatment in the public system. But this is to be expected considering that he underwent an emergency procedure. As I understand it (and I may be wrong), anybody who needs an appendectomy will be treated fairly quickly due to the nature of the condition. The situations that I am more curious about are the non-emergency procedures, such as surgery to repair torn knee ligaments, which the general public must wait weeks for, while athletes have to wait all of 48 hours. Now, I understand that although a certain surgery may not be medically urgent, certain patients may want to pay for faster service since they find that the waiting is too much of an inconvenience on their lives. For such people, we do have private clinics in Canada (albeit only a few) and there's always the possibility of going abroad. Sorry, outside of Alberta and possibly BC, I did not know that there were private clinics in Canada. If you could provide me with a link where I can read and learn about these clinics I would appreciate it. I do not want anybody to get the idea that I am out to get athletes who are cheating the system or anything like that. I am as happy (or happier) than the next guy to see my hockey heroes make miraculous recoveries from serious injuries. I really just am curious to know how these miraculous recoveries come about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curious P Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 Sorry, outside of Alberta and possibly BC, I did not know that there were private clinics in Canada. If you could provide me with a link where I can read and learn about these clinics I would appreciate it. I also know of clinics in Ontario, Manitoba, and Quebec. As for a link, I don't know of one off the top of my head, but you may want to search for the Cambie Surgery Centre in BC (founded by the infamous Dr. Brian Day --> next CMA president and proponent of public/private health care systems) or the Don Mills Surgical Centre which was recently in the news. And if they are being paid by a private organization, is that not considered a violation of laws which prevent physicians from receiving income from both the public and private sectors for medically necessary procedures? I believe doctors can choose to work in one system or the other, but not both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illusion Posted March 22, 2007 Report Share Posted March 22, 2007 This may help: http://www.news.utoronto.ca/bin1/010322d.asp I think it sums up to mean that private health care can't be paid by insurance and restrictions on physicians working in both the public and private practice...although the article is from 2001 (boy, time flies eh?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sethy Posted March 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2007 Thanks very much for everybodys input. With your help I have found many more resources that have given me a way to start understanding this situation. If anybody else is interested, in April 2006 Macleans magazine did a report on private health care in Canada which is a very interesting read. You can find it by going to Macleans.ca and searching for "private health care". Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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