ASSURING THE AFFORDABILITY OF CANADA HEALTH-CARE SYSTEM

Canada's health care system is challenged by a crisis of affordability . A sluggish economy and substantial federal, provincial, and territor ial debt have caused health care spending, in spite of a good record o f cost control, to consume nearly 10% of Canada's gross domestic produ ct, largely due to a denominator effect. Issues identified as warranti ng further investigation as potential approaches to further reducing c ost in order to match available resources include therapeutic effectiv eness, drug use, hospital utilization, manpower planning, consumer acc ess, and population approaches to improving health status. An importan t role exists for clinical investigators to contribute to health care reform.