Total healthcare spending rises $28B with hospital expansions, staffing increases, and system modernization. Chain: healthcare_spending -> wait_times (-0.35, d1) + infant_mortality (-0.20, d2) + health_spending_pct_gdp (+0.10, d1) + workforce_productivity (+0.10, d4) + life_expectancy (+0.15, d20). Wait times respond first, mortality drops next, productivity rises later, life expectancy is the generational payoff.

Epoch: 33

Domain: healthcare

Fiscal cost estimate (LLM): $28.00B CAD

Structural estimate (RIPPLE): +$33.63B CAD net (v3-bfs-signed depth=2, decay=0.5/hop; agrees)

Top RIPPLE cost paths

• +$24.84B → consumer_spending (Consumer Spending Growth) via healthcare_spending
• +$5.60B → healthcare_spending (Healthcare Spending) via healthcare_worker_retention
• +$4.70B → hospital_spending (Hospital Services Spending) via healthcare_spending
• −$1.79B → preventable_chronic_disease_cost (Annual Cost of Preventable Chronic Disease) via healthcare_spending

Causal effects: 5 downstream variables affected (0 immediate)

Divergence after: 220.445

Variable changes

• healthcare_spending: 372 → 400

Chamber amendment (round 1): Mandate 20% of expansion funds specifically for rural and remote primary care access.

Targets healthcare_spending.