The Private Cost of Public Queues for Medically Necessary Care, 2020 is a new study that finds long waits for surgery and medical treatment cost Canadians almost $2.1 billion in lost wages and productivity last year-costs that could increase now that many provinces have postponed elective (or scheduled) surgeries as a result of COVID-19. Crucially, more than one million Canadian (1,064,286) patients waited for medically necessary treatment last year, and each lost an estimated $1,963 (on average) due to lost wages and reduced productivity during working hours.