The role of the public on physician remuneration in Canada: the cases of British Columbia and Ontario

Abstract

In Canada, universal health care is public funded and therefore incorporates many stakeholders including provincial governments, health care professional and the general public. A recent move to openly disclose the dollar value each health care provider bills yearly to their respective provincial government has received divided feedback. While this disclosure holds health care professionals accountable for their billing, it does not accurately reflect their take home salary. As such, it perpetuates the public’s view that health care professionals are overcompensated, which ultimately may have important consequences for future determinations of physician remuneration and potentially the quality of public health care as a whole.