Most Canadians with chronic conditions say health-care system falls short

A majority of Canadians living with chronic conditions say the health-care system is not meeting their needs, a trend that is fuelling missed work, reduced hours and increased strain on employers and HR teams.

Overall, three-quarters (75%) of people with a chronic condition say the health-care system only sometimes or never meets their needs, finds a survey of more than 1,500 Canadians.

More than half of respondents say it is not easy or convenient to access a practitioner who understands their condition. In addition, 83% say their care feels more reactive than proactive, indicating that many people are waiting for problems to worsen before receiving support.

Impact on working Canadians and daily life

The report from Maple also says that 57% of employed respondents have missed work, reduced hours or taken time off due to their condition. These interruptions, driven by appointment demands, symptom flare-ups and difficulties getting timely care, translate directly into lost time and productivity.

Daily life outside of work is also heavily affected. The report finds 81% of respondents say day-to-day life is more complicated because of managing chronic condition-related care. This includes scheduling and rescheduling appointments, arranging transportation, and coordinating with multiple providers.

Administrative burdens are widespread. According to the survey, 85% of respondents report having to repeatedly share their medical history with different health-care providers. The report says these experiences “point to a systemic need for more continuous, coordinated care,” and notes that many people are left to manage their health largely on their own.

Meanwhile, employers are paying more than ever for health benefits, but many workers still encounter slow reimbursements, confusing tools and long waits for care. That disconnect is fuelling concern that employer‑offered health insurance has fallen badly behind modern expectations, according to a previous report.

Mental health, ADHD and condition-specific pressures

The Maple research highlights elevated pressures for those living with mental health conditions. The report states 95% of respondents affected by a mental health condition say it creates challenges in their daily life even when care is managed well. That suggests that, for this group, stable care does not eliminate day-to-day impacts on energy, focus and functioning.

The figures are particularly stark for Canadians affected by ADHD. According to Maple, just 9% of respondents with ADHD say the health-care system meets their needs, the lowest satisfaction rate of any condition included in the study. This points to significant unmet needs for assessment, follow-up and ongoing support.

The report describes Canada’s health-care system as “designed for a different era” and says it is increasingly out of step with current challenges in access, continuity and coordination of care. It notes that “for nearly half of Canadian adults living with at least one chronic condition, this gap is not theoretical. It shows up in missed appointments, dismissed concerns, and the burden of navigating a system not built for their needs.”

Only 15% of caregivers say the health-care system meets their needs all the time, according to a previous report.

Eroding confidence in timely care and appetite for virtual access

Confidence in accessing timely health care is low among respondents. The survey finds 73% say the system is so overburdened they do not feel confident accessing timely care, while 27% say the system does not meet their needs at all.

Access to appropriate expertise is also a concern. More than half of respondents say it is not easy or convenient to reach a practitioner who understands their condition, contributing to feelings that care is reactive and fragmented.

The survey also points to strong interest in technology-enabled support. According to the report, 78% of respondents say consistent, 24-7 access to technology-enabled care would alleviate the significant time and stress currently required to manage their chronic condition, indicating demand for options that reduce disruption to both daily life and work.

A previous C.D. Howe Institute report describes how virtual care shifted from a marginal tool to a widespread mode of service during the pandemic, with more than 70 per cent of primary care visits conducted virtually at the peak of the crisis, enabled by new billing codes for phone and video encounters.

And expanding employer‑funded virtual mental health care could reduce the economic impact of mental health challenges in Canada by an estimated $22.2 billion a year, according to a recent analysis.

Here are the estimated wait times and costs in Canada, according to the Fraser Institute: