“Canada's publicly funded health care system is best described as an interlocking set of ten provincial and three territorial health insurance plans. Known to Canadians as "medicare", the system provides access to universal, comprehensive coverage for medically necessary hospital and physician services” (Health Canada, 2007).
“Medicare”, is designed to ensure that all residents have reasonable access to medically necessary hospital and physician services, on a prepaid basis” (Health Canada, 2007).
History
- The first organized health care in Canada consisted of hospitals set up by Catholic religious orders in New France. The hospitals which were run by religious orders were generally servicing poor people and the wealthier people were cared for by expensive doctors in their own homes.
- In the late 19th century a movement began that called for improved health care for the poor. The main focus of this movement was “sanitation and hygiene.
- In the early 20th century a widespread construction of government run hospitals, mainly for the mentally ill and Sanatoriums for those who suffer from tuberculosis developed.
- In 1935, the United Farmers of Alberta passed a bill creating a provincial insurance program, but they lost office later that year and the Social Service Party scrapped the plan due to the financial situation in the province.
- In 1936, a health insurance bill passed in British Columbia, but its implementation was halted over objections from doctors.
- In 1946, the first Canadian province introduced near universal health coverage. The same year 1946, Tommy Douglas’ Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Government in Saskatchewan passed the Saskatchewan Hospitalization Act, which guaranteed free hospital care for much of the population. Douglas had hoped to provide universal health care, but the province did not have the money.
- In 1950, a similar program to Saskatchewan was created, the Medical Services (Alberta) Incorporated (MS (A) I) in 1948 to provide prepaid health services.
- In 1957, the federal government passed the Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act to fund 50% of the cost of such programs for any provincial government that adopted them. The HIDS act outlined the five conditions, public administration, comprehensiveness, universality, portability and accessibility. These remain the pillars of the Canada Health Act.
- By 1961, all ten provinces had agreed to start HIDS act programs. In Saskatchewan, the act meant that half of their current program would now be paid for by the federal government.
- In 1966, the New Democratic Party introduced the Medical Care Act that extended the HIDS act cost-sharing to allow each province to establish a universal health plan. It also set up the Medicare System.
- In 1977, the cost sharing agreement created by the HIDS Act and extended by the Medical Care Act was discontinued and replaced by Established Program Financing.
- In 1984, the Canada Health Act was passed, which prohibited user fees and extra billing by doctors.
- In 1999, the prime minister and most premiers reaffirmed in the Social Union Framework Agreement that they are committed to health care that has ‘“ comprehensiveness, universality, portability, public administration and accessibility”’ (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2007).
Source: Health care in Canada Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2007
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Canada
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