The best defence is a good offence: Ensuring equitable access to primary care in Canada

• Published in: Healthcare management forum 2023-09, Vol.36 (5), p.293-298
• Main Authors: Hedden, Lindsay, McGrail, Kimberlyn
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Original
• ISSN: 0840-4704; 2352-3883
• DOI: 10.1177/08404704231182260

Ensuring access to primary care is a persistent challenge in Canada, and the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing gaps. Public policy reform that only partially addresses these access issues, technological opportunities, workforce desires, or patient preferences creates an opportunity for private, investor-owned corporations to take ownership of primary care delivery systems. This article summarizes the history of the “public-private” conversation as it pertains to primary care, with a particular focus on investor-owned corporations. We outline how profit-driven, corporate healthcare impacts equitable access to care, increases spending on low-value services, and undermines the underlying values of Canadian healthcare systems. All of healthcare delivery requires rapid regulation and oversight by policy-makers, which would increase transparency of corporate care. There also must be parallel efforts placed on addressing the long-standing issues in publicly funded delivery of primary care that created the space for corporate care to grow.