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A policy analysis of hospital waiting lists
Author(s) -
Globerman Steven
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of policy analysis and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.898
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1520-6688
pISSN - 0276-8739
DOI - 10.2307/3325174
Subject(s) - rationing , business , relevance (law) , waiting list , actuarial science , operations management , economic analysis , medical costs , cost–benefit analysis , health care , economics , public economics , medicine , economic growth , political science , agricultural economics , surgery , transplantation , law
The Canadian system of publicly provided health care has been praised for its cost containment attributes. Conventional cost measures do not identify costs associated with rationing access to medical facilities. This paper explores the economic relevance of hospital waiting lists and offers estimates of the economic costs of waiting for different hospital procedures in Canada. The estimated costs are relatively low as a share of overall economic activity but appear quite comparable to losses associated with labour strikes and lockouts.