Watch above: Saskatchewan residents spend big on prescriptions
SASKATOON – A new study shows health care spending in our country is projected to grow this year at one of the slowest rate in almost two decades.
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) says Canadians are expected to spend close to $215-billion on health this year, up 2.1 per cent more than last year but a record low since 1997.
To put that into perspective, health care in the country will cost only $61 more per person than last year at $6,045 per Canadian. Spending in Saskatchewan is slightly higher than the national average at $6,400 per person.
“In the period from 2000-2010 we saw annual growth rates in health expenditures around seven per cent and since then we’ve seen slower rates around three per cent the last couple years, in 2012-2013 and then down to two per cent in this past year, so a continuing down in the growth of health expenditure fourth year running now,” said Brent Diverty, vice president of programs with CIHI.
Senior citizens are estimated to increase health care costs by 0.9 per cent this year and are considered only a “modest” cost driver.
“Aging population is a factor in increasing health care costs but it’s a very slow incremental factor that will progress over many years,” added Diverty.
The report also notes the public share of prescribed drug spending varied across the country but our province lead the pack.
“The public sector share of health spending in Saskatchewan is considerably higher that the average for Canada being 77 per cent versus 70 per cent,” explained Diverty.
According to the report, even the growth rate among the three biggest ticket items in health care – hospitals, physicians and drugs – has slowed.
“There’s been major growth in previous years on spending and it really needs to be sustainable, it wasn’t sustainable, so with Saskatchewan’s strong economy, our growing population and all the initiatives we’re putting in place to reduce expenditures, we’re getting excellent patient care while using less costs than we were before.”
Since 2007, one-billion dollars has been invested by the province in health system capital projects, building improvements and equipment upgrades but there is concern that’s still not enough.
“There’s a lot of competing needs so we need to look at those and ensure that the patients are being put first in getting the care that they need,” stated Diverty.
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