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Long wait times for medical treatment cost 1.2 million patients an estimated $3.5 billion in out-of-pocket expenses, according to a study.

Long Medical Wait Times Cost Patients $3.6 Billion in Lost Wages: Study Estimates

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Long waits for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians almost $3.6 billion in lost wages…

Medical wait times cost Canadian patients almost $4.1 billion in lost wages last year, The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care

The study draws upon data from the Fraser Institute’s Waiting Your Turn study, an annual survey of Canadian physicians who, in 2020, reported the national median waiting time from specialist appointment to treatment was 12.1 weeks. Crucially, the $2.8 billion in lost wages is likely a conservative estimate because it doesn’t account for the additional 10.5-week wait to see a specialist after receiving a referral from a general practitioner. Taken together (10.5 weeks and 12.1 weeks), the t...

VANCOUVER—Long waits for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians almost $2.8 billion in lost wages and productivity last year, finds a new study released today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. Preliminary data suggest that an estimated 1.2 million patients waited for medically necessary treatment last year, and each lost an estimated $2,254 (on average) due to lost wages and reduced productivity during working hours. Consequences...