ANALYSIS: The Growing ‘Loopholes’ Allowing Private Health Care in Canada’s Staunchly Universal System

A paramedic wheels a gurney out from the emergency department at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, Jan. 13, 2021. The Canadian Press/Cole Burston

Canada’s restrictions on private health care are labyrinthine and include many loopholes. And as medical practice evolves, the lag time for laws to catch up means more private health care is permitted in Canada than many may realize.

For example, nurse practitioners have been permitted to provide more services than ever before due to a health worker shortage, and they aren’t subject to the private care regulations written only for doctors.