SAYING GOODBYE TO CANADA SINGLE-PAYER SYSTEM

Cost shifting, inf which governments transfer the cost of certain heal th care services to patients or private insurance companies, is increa sing rapidly, and Dr. Christopher Carruthers thinks it will spell an e nd to Canada's single-payer system, The signs are already there: the p rivate sector is offering more services and employers are keeping a-cl oser eye on the health care system as they begin to pay a bigger share of the costs, The result, says Carruthers, is that government influen ce is bound to diminish as the private sector tries to fill voids crea ted by governments that are trying to live within their fiscal means.