Whitehorse General Hospital on October 23rd. Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke/CKRW.
Whitehorse, YT – A recent report from the C.D. Howe Institute reveals that Yukoners disproportionately struggle with healthcare costs compared to other jurisdictions and highlighted a large lack of equity in care which stood out to Dr. Derek Bryant, President of the Yukon Medical Association.
The report notes that in B.C., Alberta, and Yukon a higher number of Canadians forgo necessary healthcare due to high costs, particularly in dentistry, physiotherapy, and pharmaceuticals.
Yukon also scored the lowest on healthcare equity among Canadian jurisdictions, significantly below the international average. The top reasons listed in the report for unfair healthcare treatment across Canada are age, disability, and gender.
Dr. Bryant argued that improving equity requires better affordability. He pointed to the 2023 Yukon Dental Program, which offers uninsured Yukoners $1,300 per year for dental coverage, as a good step but said pharmaceutical coverage should also expand.
“I think one area that we could really focus on, is just ensuring that all of the necessary medications that most Yukoners are dependent on are actually covered by their health care system and not being paid for out of pocket,” said Dr. Bryant.
Despite these challenges, the report highlights Yukon’s strong healthcare outcomes, and Dr. Bryant suggests the territory could both teach and learn from other jurisdictions to drive improvements.
“There are jurisdictions that are performing well, with metrics where the Yukon struggles,” said Dr. Bryant. “I think we could probably learn a lot from our neighbors.”
