It is no secret that there are significant differences in the way medical procedures and health care are paid for in Canada compared to the United States. In general, Canadians pay a great deal less for medical care than their U.S. counterparts.

This is due to a variety of factors, including the single-payer insurance system used by most Canadian citizens and Canadian doctors—including those here in the Calgary area—and by differences in medical malpractice law that often discourage lawsuits and reduce physician expenses.

The fact that the majority of physicians’ medical malpractice insurance in Calgary and throughout Canada is funded by taxpayers also plays into the complex malpractice system and its effects on health care costs in Canada.

The lower costs of health care in Canada, including in the world-class hospitals that serve the Calgary region, makes it an attractive destination for many “medical tourists” from the United States—people who travel out of the U.S. to receive health care at cheaper rates than they can find in their own country.

As medical tourism into Calgary and Canada at large grows more popular, there could potentially be an impact on medical malpractice costs, and that might affect health care costs as well. Anyone who is seriously injured by a medical professional’s negligence deserves compensation, whether they are a Canadian citizen or not, and the complexities of international travel to seek health care warrant careful attention in the coming years.

If you or a family member has been a victim of medical malpractice in the Greater Calgary Area and you would like a free consultation with a medical malpractice lawyer, please contact Cuming & Gillespie LLP today.