Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: Medically assisted deaths could save millions in health care spending

They're coming right out and saying it now.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: Medically assisted deaths could save millions in health care spending

Across Canada, journal calculates up to $136.8 M in savings

New research suggests medically assisted dying could result in substantial savings across Canada’s health-care system.

Doctor-assisted death could reduce annual health-care spending across the country by between $34.7 million and $136.8 million, according to a report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Monday.

The savings exceedingly outweigh the estimated $1.5 to $14.8 million in direct costs associated with implementing medically assisted dying.

“The take-away point is that there may be some upfront costs associated with offering medical assisted dying to Canadians, but there may also be a reduction in spending elsewhere in the system and therefore offering medical assistance in dying to Canadians will not cost the health care system anything extra,” said Aaron Trachtenberg, an author of the report and a resident in internal medicine at the University of Calgary.