Privatized Nursing Homes

Rising health care costs and population aging has fuelled the debate about the financial sustainability of Canada’s healthcare system. This demographic change in the Canadian society will deeply impact on all aspects of social, economic, and political factors. The extensive use of health care by the seniors has put a heavy burden on the universal health care system. This paper will closely analyze the sustainability of the Canadian healthcare system and the challenges our government has to face as our population ages and uses more of the healthcare expenditure. By examining the issue of health care sustainability, this paper will also propose recommendations and explore the implications of those recommendations.

This paper will discuss the Canadian healthcare system compared to the United States healthcare system. Although they’re close in proximity, these two nations have very different health care systems. Each healthcare system has its own difficulties, and is currently trying to find ways to improve. Canada currently uses the Universal Health Care system; which provides healthcare coverage to all Canadian citizens (Canadian Health Care, 2007). The services are executed on both a territorial and provincial basis, by staying within the guidelines that have been enforced by the federal government (Canadian Health Care, 2007).

When asked to describe what makes Canada unique compared to other countries, many outsiders might yell out “Hockey!” “Cold Weather!” or “Free Health Care!.” Health care is definitely one of Canada’s most noticeable trademarks when compared to the United States, but the reality is that our health care services are not what they are made out to be. Canadians tend to take pride in the fact that they have a Government funded health care system, but the system is failing at a rapid pace. One can gage the quality of health care in our country while at the emergency ward in any hospital, where most Canadians realize its downsides. The Government spends most of its budget towards health care but Canadians are not feeling an improvement. Waiting

Its purpose is to provide facilities that already exist with health services and resources to provide the best possible health for Canadians (Royal Commission on Health Services, 2004). Public policy refers to the governments role in achieving an objective causing a change in society through major priorities. In this case the priority here is for every Canadian to have adequate an effective health regardless of their socio-economic status. (Role of Knowledge in Public Health, n.d., pg 89) However, this priority becomes controversial when political parties begin to get involved due to power shifts. The dilemma here is not about who is eligible to retrieve medical services but rather the policies that are made by the influence of other institutions such as marketing companies and political parties that result in health

Canada 's healthcare system is praised globally for its universal and free healthcare. It started to take shape after World War II in 1945. Health insurance was introduced and was attempted, but was not successful even though there was an increase in the spending of health related services and goods. Fast forward a few years to 1961 where Tommy Douglas, the premier of Saskatchewan, developed the idea for an all-inclusive insurance plan. He later inspired the Medical Care Act in Canada in 1967, when he pointed out health care is a right for all Canadians. From this one thought, Canada has become of the many countries with a universal health care system. Ever since Tommy Douglas sparked the idea for health care coverage, Canada is praised for the way it carries out its system because of several key features. This system is publically funded, is universal and is accessible to everyone across the nation. Because this is a public system, funding comes from the tax payers and some federal funding, so there is no extra cost for the patients. Also, being a universal system it has offered care to all Canadians, immigrants and visitors. Unlike the U.S who does not provide healthcare to its entire population because it is a private system; access depends on how much someone could afford, and how

Nursing homes are now subject to a five-star rating system called Nursing Home Compare, described on the Medicare Web site. Simply inputting a nursing home’s name or area code allows a user to compare the quality of care at various locations. According to the article “Aging well” written by Athan Bezaitis, he states that this is “an important first step” but “it’s not always a choice system.” Discharge agents at hospitals often make decisions regarding where older adults will go following discharge.

The idea of what the Canadian Health Care system should be varies between the country's three political parties. According to the official website of the New Democratic Party of Canada, the NDP believes that every Canadian citizen should have quality, reliable health care. In fact, the NDP initially created Canada's public health care system. In addition to the current health care system, the NDP is trying to create legislation that would grant free dental and drug coverage for seniors over the age of 65. Lastly, recent debate in both Canada and the United States has been on the subject of whether or not health care should be privatized. It is the belief of the NDP that the privatization of health care would have a negative effect in

These agencies expect long-term care facilities to maintain an environment that will emphasize the importance of one’s quality of life and quality of care (Walsh, 2014).

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,

     In the past, Canada’s government-funded, universally accessible, health care system has been praised and admired both at home and abroad as one of the finest in the world. A great source of pride and comfort for many Canadians is that it is based on five fundamental principles. Principles that are a reflection of the values held by Canadian citizens since the formation of Medicare in 1966. These principles were reinforced in the Canada Health Act, (CHA), of 1984 and state that the Canadian system is universal, accessible, portable, comprehensive and non-profit.

In the article, “Parting at the Crossroads: The Development of Health Insurance in Canada and the United States” the author Antonia Maioni argues various points as to why Canada and the United States of America have such different approaches to targeting the healthcare system. The topics covered by Maioni included, “Health Reform in Canada: The Role of the CCF-NDP”. Here Maioni discuses in great detail, the historical background to how Canada got to where they are in the health system through the ups and downs that occurred in Parliament due to “the public demand for action on medical insurance” which was influenced by the highly successful medical insurance program that existed in Saskatchewan post-world war. It goes to show, that the passing

Canada’s health care system “can be described as a publicly-funded, privately-provided, universal, comprehensive, affordable, single-payer, provincially administered national health care system” (Bernard, 1992, p.103). Health care in Canada is provincial responsibility, with the Canada Health act being a federal legislation (Bernard, 1992, p. 102). Federal budget cuts, has caused various problems within Medicare such as increased waiting times and lack of new technology. Another problem with Medicare is that The Canada Heath Act does not cover expenditures for prescriptions drugs. All these issue has caused individuals to suggest making Medicare privatized. Although, Canada’s health care system consists of shortcomings, our universal

This paper examines the quality of care received by the elderly with an emphasis on measurements for care, recommending additional tools to be adopted to measure the overall well-being for the elderly in order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the quality of care for those living in senior care facilities.

Medicare is facing a fiscal crisis that threatens its sustainability. The need for significant Medicare reform is increasingly urgent as 76 million baby boomers are expected to retire over the next two decade. According to the 201 Medicare Trustees Report, the Hospital Insurance trust fund will be depleted in 2024. This translates to $27 trillion in unfunded liabilities over the next 75 years. Current projections indicate that health care costs will increase by more that 70 percent over the next ten years and will continue thereafter to consume an increasingly greater portion of personal income.

Before there was any type of reform, legislation those that were running these Long-Term Services were abusing and neglecting the patients they were be paid to take care of, in light of quality of life. They were giving them medications that were keep them in deep trances were they didn’t have to care for them, but could keep them in a trance like state for hours and even days at times. “Although Nursing Home Care in general has improved, problems persist in areas relevant to end-of-life care, including pressure sore, malnutrition, dehydration, pain and quality of life.” (Sarah Thompson, 2008 ) These were all serious issues that needed to be addressed and major improvements starting happening within Long-Term