Role of private insurance in public system source of debate at CHEPA conference.

Supplementary health care insurance is the fastest growing segment of the insurance industry in Canada, but not because of a rise in the number of policy holders. Instead, revenue increase is primarily due to price increases for insured services, such as prescription drugs or semi-private hospital coverage, and the expansion of private coverage into areas vacated by public health insurance. The role of private insurance in the evolving Canadian health care system was debated during a recent conference sponsored by the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis at McMaster University.