Not typically. I know of at least one clinic where people pay out of pocket to be members but they advertise access to specialist care that is actually just the regular access (ie they refer to us and their referrals are treated the same as any other, no special access). There are some third party navigators that claim to offer better access but again in my experience they just call around to the regular specialists and ask about wait times, then refer to the one with the shortest list. People who want real special treatment go to the US or Mexico.
Is there an option to access privately paid care in Canada, if you don't want to wait?
No, it’s mostly legally forbidden to offer private healthcare due to Canadian law.
Whoa. To an American that sounds insane - but I can understand the reasoning behind it for sure.
Not typically. I know of at least one clinic where people pay out of pocket to be members but they advertise access to specialist care that is actually just the regular access (ie they refer to us and their referrals are treated the same as any other, no special access). There are some third party navigators that claim to offer better access but again in my experience they just call around to the regular specialists and ask about wait times, then refer to the one with the shortest list. People who want real special treatment go to the US or Mexico.