CANADIANS GIVE CANADA HEALTH ACT ONLY BARELY PASSING GRADE

CANADIANS GIVE CANADA HEALTH ACT ONLY BARELY PASSING GRADE (52%) FOR LIVING UP TO ITS PRINCIPLES

71% SAY IT'S TIME FOR THE ACT TO BE CHANGED BECAUSE THE FIVE FOUNDING PRINCIPLES DO NOT MEET THE HEALTH CARE NEEDS OF TODAY

STRONG MAJORITY (95%) SEE NEED FOR ONGOING DIALOGUE INVOLVING HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS TO REVIEW HOW CANADA'S HEALTH CARE SYSTEM CAN MEET THE NEEDS OF THE GROWING AND AGING POPULATION IN THE FUTURE

This Angus Reid Group poll, commissioned by the Ontario Medical Association, was conducted by telephone from April 28th to May 3rd, 1999 among a representative cross-section of 1500 Canadian adults for the May 11, 1999 Summit titled "Ensuring a Health Future for Canadians: A Dialogue on the Canada Health Act."

These data were statistically weighted to ensure the sample's regional and age/sex composition reflects that of the actual Canadian population according to the 1996 Census data.

With a provincial sample of 1500, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results are accurate to within +2.5 percentage points of what they would have been had the entire adult Canadian population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population.

In a poll, commissioned by the Ontario Medical Association and released today at a summit convened for "Ensuring a Healthy Future for Canadians: A Dialogue on the Canada Health Act," the findings indicate that Canadians give the Act only a barely passing grade (52% on average) for living up to its principles, and a majority (71%) say it's time to change the Act because its five founding principles don't meet the health care needs of today.

Further, 95 percent of Canadians believe that there is a need for an ongoing dialogue concerning the health care system, but are split as to potential solutions - 54 percent indicate the need for more money in the health care system, whereas 45 percent say the solution is not more money, but the need to manage and spend the money we do have better.

As for the current state of the health care system, three quarters (76%) of Canadians say the health care system is in crisis and even more (78%) say the quality of services has declined over the last five years. However, there is an element of optimism: 61 percent are confident that if they had a serious medical problem, they would get the health care services they need, and 57 percent expect an improvement in the quality of services over the next ten years.

These are just some of the findings of a National Angus Reid Group poll, conducted for the May 11, 1999 Summit concerning a dialogue on the Canada Health Act, hosted by the Ontario Medical Association. A total of 1500 telephone interviews with Canadian adults were carried out between April 28 and May 3, 1999. A survey sample of 1500 is said to have an associated margin of error of 1772.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

Low Awareness of Canada Health Act, Barely Passing Grades on Living up to its Principles, and it's Time for a Change...

While only four in ten (42%) Canadians have ever heard of a law called the Canada Health Act (regionally, awareness is highest in Alberta (57%) and Ontario (50%), while being significantly lower in Quebec (22%)), when they are given a prompt as to the substance of the federal Act and its principles, they have distinct opinions.

"The Canada Health Act is the federal law that oversees Medicare. It sets the basic rules that govern how the provinces run their health care systems. There are five main rules or principles in the Canada Health Act."

Having heard the above preamble, Canadians were asked to indicate, for each of the five principles, whether or not they believe out health care system is living up to the principle in Canada right now. Looking at the combined average response for all five principles, the health care system is given a barely passing grade (52%) for living up to the principles of the Canada Health Act.

The current health system is given the highest marks (60%) for living up to the principle of universality (equal rights to health care for all Canadians regardless of who they are or where they live), followed closely by accessibility (equal opportunities to actually access health care services for all Canadians regardless of who they are or where they live) at 55 percent.

Hovering at the fifty percent level are the principles of portability at 50 percent (the ability of Canadians from one province to get equal access to health care in other provinces, even though they do not live there), and public funding at 49 percent (that all basic health care in Canada is paid for by the government and there is no second, private system). The current system is given a failing grade (45%) on the principle of public administration (that the system is run by public servants who are accountable to elected officials, who ultimately answer to the Canadian public).

Not only do Canadians give only a barely passing grade for the ability of the current health care system to deliver on its principles, once each principle was reviewed individually, a sizeable majority (71%) feel that these very same principles do not meet the health care needs to today - that it is time for a change.

Three Quarters (76%) Believe Canada's Health Care System is in Crisis ...

Three quarters (76%) of Canadians agree that Canada's health care system is in crisis - in fact, the plurality (41%) strongly agree there is a crisis. Conversely, one in four (23%) disagree with the notion of a health care crisis, and only a very small proportion strongly disagree (6%).

Regionally, the sense that there is a crisis in the health care system is most notable in Quebec (86%) Saskatchewan/Manitoba (83%), while being significantly less of an issue in Ontario (68%).

The main reasons for believing Canada's health care system is in crisis (cited by respondents who believe the system is in crisis on an open-ended basis) are "cutbacks/underfunding" (28%), "lengthy waiting periods" (13%), and "poor quality of service/care" (5%). Other reasons include "shortage of doctors/specialists" (4%), "understaffing" (4%) and "lack of facilities" (4%).

... And 78% Say The Quality of Health Care is Worse Than it was Five Years Ago

Not only is there a strong sense of a crisis in the Canadian health care system, but more than three quarters (78%) say the quality of health care in Canada is worse than it was five years ago. About four in ten (44%) say the quality is only somewhat worse, but one third (35%) say the quality is much worse. Only one in five (19%) cite an improvement in quality (17% somewhat better, 2% much better). The regions most likely to cite a decline in quality are Saskatchewan/Manitoba (85%) and Quebec (83%).

Regardless of whether respondents cite an improvement or a decline in the quality of health care services, the majority (63%) base their opinion mainly on the personal experience of themselves and their families.

Despite Concerns, 61% are Confident They Would Get the Health Services They Need

Despite majority opinion that the health care system is in crisis, six in ten (61%) are confident that, if they had a serious medical problem, they would get the health care services they need (18% strongly agree, 42% somewhat agree). Four in ten (39%) do not share this confidence (24% somewhat disagree, 15% strongly disagree).

Confidence in the health care system is highest in Quebec (67%) and Alberta (64%), while a lack of confidence is strongest in Saskatchewan/Manitoba (45%).

Furthermore, the Majority (57%) Expect Improvement

Almost six in ten (57%) say that, looking ahead over the next ten years or so, the quality of health care in Canada with be either somewhat better (49%) or much better (9%) than it is today. Of those who anticipate a worsening (38% in total), most expect things to be only somewhat (25%), rather than much (13%) worse.

Most likely to expect an improvement in the quality of health care in Canada over the next ten years or so are residents of Quebec (71%). British Columbians, on the other hand, are most likely to anticipate a decline in the quality of health care (57%).

What's the Solution: More Money or Better Management?

While a slight majority (54%) say we need more money in our health care system if we are going to keep pace with the needs of a growing and aging population in the coming years, Canadians are almost as likely (45%) to say the solution is not more money, but the need to manage and spend the money we do have better.

Atlantic Canadians (67%) and Ontarians (58%) are most likely to see more money as being the solution, while British Columbians (54%) are more likely to say better management of current funding is what is really needed.

Strong Majority (95%) See Need for Ongoing Dialogue

More than nine in ten (95%) agree (68% strongly, 28% somewhat) that there is a need for an ongoing dialogue involving health care providers and other stakeholders to review how our health care system can meet the needs of the growing and aging population in the future. Only four percent disagree that such a need exists.

This high level of support for an ongoing dialogue is consistent across all demographic and regional groups.

For further information, please contact:

John Wright
Senior Vice-President
Angus Reid Group
(416) 324-2900