Dr. Michael J. Taylor
"Apocalyptic demography", "bankruptcy hypothesis of aging", "population aging crisis scenario"--these are only three of the many catch phrases currently being used to describe the impact that an aging population will have on our limited health care resources as we enter the first decade of the new millennium. Almost daily the news media reports stories of emergency departments filled to capacity, lengthy waiting lists for elective surgery and diagnostic imaging, and nation-wide shortages of long-term care beds. Public opinion polls consistently reveal that concerns about the future of health care are uppermost for many Canadians. Whether and how our national health care system, apparently already faltering, will survive the increase in demand that an aging population will impose is already the subject of intense national debate. Some form of health care reform over the upcoming years seems inevitable, but instituting reforms that will ensure the survival of our universally accessible health care system, the pride of many Canadians since its inception in the 1960s, will no doubt prove to be a great challenge to policy makers. This article will attempt to shed light on the complex issue of just how an aging population will affect our health care system; it will also present various perspectives regarding the directions that health care reform could take.
