Canadians continually see news stories about provincial governments struggling to provide timely medical care, and about Canadians seeking care abroad. And who could blame these medical escapees for wanting to look after their own medical needs in a timelier manner?

The wait times situation in Canada is dire. Last year, the median wait between doctor referral and treatment was 28.6 weeks, the second-longest wait ever measured and more than triple the wait in 1993. And Canada has some of the longest waits in the developed world despite having some of the highest levels of health-care spending.

This raises a key question: How many Canadians choose to leave Canada for health care?

A few numbers. Last year, according to a survey of medical specialists, almost 2.1% of Canadian patients travelled abroad for care. Our new study, which combines this finding with the number of procedures performed........

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