Health Care In Canada Essay

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Healthcare and access to healthcare is not a fundamental determinant of the health of affluent countries and affluent communities within a country. However, access to healthcare services for marginalized and or disadvantaged groups within wealthy countries is critical. The Canadian federal government is responsible for healthcare on reserves in Canada and the way that is set up show evident inequities within the health system compared to non-aboriginal people living in modern-day Canada. The healthcare on reserves is basic most care being carried out by nurses, and the severely ill must be evacuated to larger centres. The health care system for Aboriginal people living on reserves in modern-day Canada has historical roots in colonialism …show more content…

In the 1950’s the Canadian government started to draft legislation with the purpose of providing medical services to all Canadians. In 1966 the Canadian Assistance Plan that was passed provided “cost sharing for social services, including healthcare not covered by hospital plans and those in need.” Meanwhile, the Medical Care Act provided 50/50 cost sharing for provincial/territorial medical insurance plans. (Health Canada. “Canada's Health Care System). Lori Chambers points out that despite the fact the legislation was supposed to benefit all Canadians many of the services remained difficult to obtain and the unequal and different treatment of “Indigenous people is enshrined in the legal and constitutional foundations of Canada.” (Chambers & Burnett, 101). Furthermore, even with this criticism, the Health Transfer Policy was introduced in 1989 whose goal was to design health programs, establish services and allocate funds according to community health priorities. (Health Canada. “Canada’s Health Care System”). This all impacts the access to health services on reserves because there are unexplained limitations on what the government will and will not cover for example Aboriginal people in Canada have to pay to be transferred to urban health centres from their reserves which can cost a substantial amount of money and create a barrier to health

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