That's a very interesting question.
It's important to understand that current private plans are in fact already generously funded in part by the government, by public budgets. For the Government of Canada, it is estimated that federal tax subsidies are 13% of overall spending for private plans. As for the provinces, although they don't all offer them, it's 7% or 8%. Overall, it is estimated that close to 20% of what private plans pay out are covered through tax subsidies by the various governments.
However, I would add one important thing. Keep in mind that 30% of spending by private plans is for coverage of public servants. So it's already being covered through public budgets, to maintain plans that are not very cost-effective.
So almost half of spending by private plans is funded by public budgets one way or another. In fact, private plans reimburse some $10 billion. Furthermore, an estimated $5.1 billion of private plans are directed toward what we call waste and toward establishing a universal public plan to ensure proper use and maximize therapeutic benefits in order to minimize waste.
It's important to understand something about the issue of economic costs. The population can be divided in two: the employed and the unemployed. For the moment, the provinces are already setting aside funds for people who don't work, including seniors and social assistance recipients. Every province provides public funding to cover those individuals. What about people who are working, so those who are covered by private plans? So when we look at the numbers and dig a little, we can see that public funding is essential for these private plans. I think we simply need to take this public money and use it more effectively to better serve the population's needs.