Canadian Health Act Case Study

It was April 1, 1984, when Trudeau’s health minister, Monique Begin, passed the Canada Health Act (CHA). This reaffirmed the government’s commitment to facilitate the access to universal healthcare for Canadian residents by eliminating financial barriers that must comply with the established criteria of portability, accessibility, universality, comprehensiveness, and public administration in order for the federal government to cover all medical expenses . In 2003, the first ministers envisioned the Accord on healthcare renewal that was sought to improve the quality of the public healthcare system with financial aid from the government. With the help of the block account—Canada Health and Canada Social Transfer (CHST)—the federal government

America has a very disorganized and fragmented healthcare system while Canada has a very structured and established system. Since there is no healthcare system in the world that is considered perfect all countries implement polices that they believe will be the most beneficial for their residents, The United States’ and Canada’s systems are both constantly being reformed to fit the current needs their residents however there are strengths and weaknesses for both of the systems.

In Canada, there appears to be a publicly funded health care system whose main role is to help create healthier communities. However, how healthcare is being funded is very crucial to the Canadian system because they have been controversies over how health policy is dispersed between the levels of government. The Canadian health care system gives an advantage to those who have equitable access to necessary physician and hospital, without the ability for an individual to pay for services. This ideal is tremendously great because access and services are ensured to patients who have the same opportunity and medical conditions. This essay is going to explicate on how privatization will be detrimental to the health care system, and why publicly funded health care is the best criteria that should be associated with the Canadian system.

In the first Hall Royal Commission, Pharmacare is outlined as recommend in joining the covered benefits for Canadian citizens - Canadians pays slightly less than their U.S. counterparts for Pharmaceuticals (Armstrong, p51). Privatization influences an unequal system - creating significant hindrances for impoverished people in Canada, again creating a rich-poor divide that does not influence equality, which is the essence of the Canadian Health Act. As pointed out in The Canadian Regime, “In European Countries, drugs are covered by public insurance schemes. Why not do the same in Canada?” (Malcolmson, p226). Further, Malcolmson describes the possibility for the government to generate a type of bulk buying scheme - where we as a country can

Health care expenditure accounted for an estimated 11% (214.9 billion) of Canada’s GDP in 2014 (CIHI, 2014). Canada boasts a universal, cost-effective and fair health care system to its citizens (Picard, 2010). However, despite great claims and large expenses incurred Canada’s health care system has been reported inefficient in it’s delivery to the population (Davis, Schoen, & Stremikis, 2010; Picard, 2010). As inconsistencies exist in health care delivery across the country, choosing priorities for the health of the Canadian people becomes of vital importance. In Ontario, progress toward a better health care system has been stated to be moving forward by putting the needs of the “patient’s first” (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care [MOHLTC], 2015). This policy brief will give a background of health care issues in Canada related to Ontario. Three evidence-based priorities will be suggested for Ontario’s health policy agenda for the next three to five years. Furthermore, through a critical analysis of these issues a recommendation of the top priority issue for the agenda will be presented.

This paper looks into a proposal on the introduction of a universal pharmaceutical policy or pharmacare in Canada. Canada is a country that has a global reputation of offering a successful healthcare to its populations. The Canadians enjoys free healthcare facilities because when they get sick they just need to visit the hospital or their doctors even when they do not have money. The government funds for the universal health policy by use of government revenues. The government gets the funds to pay the policies through taxation of Canadians who are well-off. Most Canadians especially the ordinary Canadians have benefited from the universal healthcare as it has increased their accessibility to health services (Fierlbeck, 2011).

In the text, “Altered States”, by Kate Lunau, readers experience a miracle of a story regarding Juan Torres, and his amazing recovery from what was said to be a vegetative state. This life-changing story about Juan really connects with the readers, as it truly is a moving story. Readers are able to connect with this story in many ways, as they may recall something in their life that was also a miracle, just like Juan’s story. There are many views on this controversy of Juan and his sudden awakening from the vegetative state in which he categorized. Some readers may view this as medically impossible, such as the doctor’s may have thought. Others may see this as a miracle from heaven above, in relation to their religious views. Personally, I

Canadian health care differs quite drastically from any other country. To begin with Canada’s health care system is built upon the Canada Health Act. The Canada Health Act is federal legislation that puts in place conditions by which individual provinces and territories in Canada may receive funding and get health care services.(Canadian Health Care, 2004) This act was put into place in order to obtain the primary objectives of the Canadian health care policy which is to protect, promote and restore physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers.(Health Canada, 2010) There are five key features that every province must meet in order to receive

The Federal government is responsible for insuring equal distribution and accessibility of health care services to citizens though they are not the only party that shape the policies of Canada’s healthcare but also the influence of doctors, health professionals, political parties, and businesses are also used (Canadian Stakeholders, n.d., para 2). The 1984 Canada Health Act outlines the requirements that provincial governments must meet. However; since there is not a descriptive list mentioning insurance services in the Act, the insured services in provinces vary creating a power shift (The Canada Health Act, 2005). Provinces also control the licensing of hospitals as well as doctors,

The United States and Canada had similar health care system before Canada changed its system in the 1960s but now have a different mix of funding mechanisms. The basic difference between the two is in health insurance. Most assume Canada's system as socialized medicine which is not correct. Canada has a universal single-payer health care system which covers about 70% of health care costs. 75% of Canadian health care services are delivered privately, but are funded publicly. The Canada Health Act provides financial disincentives for using private insurance for publicly insured services and requires all insured people to be fully insured without copayments for all necessary hospital and physician

I think that Canadian health care system can be used as guide in the U.S territories. The reason

In the book on a citizens guidelines to policy and politics, Katherine Fierlbeck argues that “The 1983 Canada Health Act replaced the 1947 Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services act because of the shift from a system of 50-50 federal-provincial cost sharing to a system of block funding established in Ottawa in 1977” (Fierlbeck 2011, pg.20). Until the period of the mid 1980’s, the Canadian health care system is to be categorized in a disarray, having no foundation to components and accomplishment. The system is to rely mainly on cost sharing; whereby in a health insurance policy only a portion is paid by the health insurance. While enabling the insured party to pay a portion of the price of covered services. In this case, cost sharing is based on 50-50 provincial and federal cost-sharing agreement to a fault. By Ottawa giving tax transfers to the provinces in replacement of direct transfers, but the federal government had no capacity to conceal cash. This in return is able to affect provinces because it deprived the federal government effective, efficient, and responsive measure of provinces holding the five principles of the Canada health care. According to About Canada Health Care, Pat Armstrong and Hugh Armstrong speaks about the five principles of health care, which are; “Public administration, Comprehensiveness, Universality, Portability, and Accessibility” (Pat Armstrong & Hugh Armstrong 2008, pg.28). These five principles holds the provinces accountable to the

Health care reform has been the main factor of parting between Canada and the United States, with the different political systems of the countries influencing how the molding of the system occurs. A Social Democratic Third Party in Canada had created the foundation of reform, the influence that a third party had on the government of Canada was significant (Maioni, 1997, p.415). The working class banded together to support the third party in Canada to push for their rights in a way that the major two parties were unable to do and unconcerned with doing, the third party that was supported created essentially a voice that gave the working class a prominent position in their country with concern to reform in health benefits. Within the United States

The Canadian health care system is funded majorly by the public, with very few private donations. Over the past few decades acts of large-scale philanthropy by wealthy private donors have started to increase, due to the investments in social programs and infrastructure from the government declining. Without the aid of private donors and large sources of income from outside of the public (government) the infrastructure of all hospitals, clinics, and the totality of western healthcare systems would collapse and ultimately fail as the system is set up presently. There is an opportunity of keeping a healthy and happy society sustained by public funds, as long as the government is able to step up and provide the healthcare system with enough funds, making the donations from philanthropists an excess instead of a necessity.

While many may argue that the Canadian health care system provides equal treatment to every Canadian, evidence shows that this is not the case. There are major discrepancies within the system regarding Indigenous people that need to be addressed including several factors such as: housing issues, stereotypes Aboriginals face and the lack of Aboriginal doctors.