RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Saying goodbye to Canada's single-payer system JF Canadian Medical Association Journal JO CMAJ FD Canadian Medical Association SP 731 OP 733 VO 152 IS 5 A1 C. Carruthers YR 1995 UL http://www.cmaj.ca/content/152/5/731.abstract AB Cost shifting, in which governments transfer the cost of certain health care services to patients or private insurance companies, is increasing rapidly, and Dr. Christopher Carruthers thinks it will spell an end to Canada's single-payer system. The signs are already there: the private sector is offering more services and employers are keeping a closer eye on the health care system as they begin to pay a bigger share of the costs. The result, says Carruthers, is that government influence is bound to diminish as the private sector tries to fill voids created by governments that are trying to live within their fiscal means.