Dr. Bélanger said that there were 150,000 patients waiting, 63% of whom were out of time, which is about 97,000 patients. She said that a colonoscopy costs $1,000, but if it isn't done in time, the patient is at risk of developing cancer, which can become a chronic disease creating not only diminished quality of life and even risk of death, but also an explosion in health care costs.
So a decision from an allegedly economic perspective not to invest in health care right now is to perpetuate the explosion of costs and reduce the ability to treat patients properly, improve their quality of life and save the health care system money now. Do you agree?