I’m going to try really hard not to rant, but it’s about time someone cleared up all the misinformation out there regarding the new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system.
I’ll start by explaining how it works. Until recently, people have been going out of province to places like Alberta and the United States to pay for private MRI scans rather than waiting months for a publicly funded one. Now, the Saskatchewan government has decided to develop legislation that will allow people to pay for private MRI scans in the province. When they pay for a scan, they’ll also be paying for a scan for someone else that’s on the public waiting list. Doesn’t sound very fair, does it? Hang on and I’ll explain.
As it is now, people are paying to travel outside the province, paying for their hotel stays, paying for food, etc. All those costs add up to almost double what the scan itself costs and aren’t even being spent in the province. So the Saskatchewan government is proposing that private companies develop a model whereby a private scan is charged at a similar rate to what an out-of-province scan and all the additional costs amount to.
For example, a scan in Alberta plus travel and accommodation can total up to $2,000. If a private company in Saskatchewan charges a similar rate for a MRI scan, the patient wouldn’t have to travel and that same scan would pay for another person on the public wait list. That additional money that would have gone to travel and accommodation can instead go towards benefiting another patient.
Now, let’s address everything people think is wrong with this. First, there’s the issue of a two-tier system. Some people think that this will enable the financially able to afford high quality care while the poor are left to languish amongst the plebeian woes of a public system. They think all the best and brightest of radiologists will jump ship to go into the private sector, leaving only the dregs behind. But let’s be honest; the economy is a competitive market. If radiologists go into the private sector, that just means more jobs will open up for other radiologists.
Then there’s the idea that this new system will cause queue-jumping. Those with money can jump the wait list and pay for a MRI faster, even if they got a doctor’s referral months after someone who’s already been on the waiting list. But guess what? That option was already available to them. This new system doesn’t change their ability to do that, just where they’re able to do it (e.g., Saskatoon versus Calgary). At least this way their money is being better spent (i.e., a free scan for someone else versus plane tickets and hotel accommodations).
Moreover, who cares if they’re jumping the queue? The fact is, them jumping ahead of the line just shortens the line for everyone else because they’re paying for another free scan for someone on the list and removing themselves from it. Do you think a patient will care that a rich person jumped the line if it means their wait time is reduced from four months to two? I sure as heck wouldn’t.
Lastly, people are saying it’s taking advantage of the desperation of potentially seriously ill people who have the money or will find it in order to speed up their diagnoses. This is where I once again repeat: THEY ALREADY HAVE THAT OPTION. This isn’t a new concept. It’s already an option and if people are desperate enough to pay two grand (or whatever amount) to travel to another province or country to get a scan, they might as well spend that money in the province and help out someone else too.
Here’s the cold hard truth: you can’t have everything in healthcare for free. The truth is there are too many people burdening a publicly funded healthcare system and not enough taxpayers to support them. The government needs a little help sometimes; privatization isn’t always a bad thing. In this case, it’s simply redirecting some of the private dollars being spent out of province towards a more beneficial cause in the province. It’s still public in that anyone who can’t pay can stay on the wait list and get it for free. Those who can pay can stop clogging up the system and instead help everyone by paying for an extra one.
