Countless advancement in medical technology and healthcare have appeared, yet there are still obstacles present in providing quality healthcare for all citizens in Canada. An issue that has existed over a long period of time is the concern of health care and health delivery. The two systems that have been debated over are public health where the medical costs are covered by the government and private health insurance where the citizens have to pay for their own health care. Like many countries, Canada has a mixed public-private system where patients have freedom of choice between which healthcare they would choose for treament. Healthcare in Canada has been seen as a basic human right and is a critical public issue that solely be the duty of …show more content…
private halth care has recceived little attention until recently, yet it is expanding rapidly (Hanson & Berman, 1998). Nearly 30 percent of Canadian healthcare is privately paid for (Blomqvist & Busby, 2015) because private medicine and insurance will less likely to emerge on a significanlty large scale since the political commitment of Canada will not allow them to do so. The patients are primarily responsible to pay for everything, including prescriptions, primary care services and treatment when they choose private health care insurance. People who can afford to pay extra prefer private care becuase of the vast medical machineries and faster treatment. Although private insurace is more expensive than most of the other opetions, patients must pay monthly costs whether they make use of the services or not (Roach et al., 2005). Patients who choose private healthcare pay more because of shorter waiting lists as well as faster treatments and appointments. Private-sector health institutions, particularly those that are for-profit, usually charge more than Public health sectors due provision of a personal service (Chapman, 2014). Furthermore, in private healthcare, not all conditions are covered such as chronic or serious health conditions. Also, if patients travel outside of Canada, …show more content…
Although having both private and public healthcare systems do provide patients with freedom of choice on which doctors and faiclities to use; however, a public system will achieve equity for everyone by having the same advantage of treatmten and care as everyone else. The government of Canada has limited opportunities for private insurance and private practices to remove barriers against access for individuals and families with limited financial means. Having both private and public system will allow the wealthy to purchase better qaulity care for themselves, which is thought to increase medical resources available for healthcare, nonetheless, it also creates disparity between the rich and the poor. I think how healthcare is delivered is crucial in a counrty liek Canada, with a diverse population and individuals with various incomes to focus on a public healthcare system. Therefore, a public healthcare system will ensure that everyone has similar accessibilty to medical resources, free of charges and that is equitable to everyone in
Tommy Douglas was a Canadian social- democratic politician, who became the premier of Saskatchewan in 1944. Tommy Douglas believed that it was his responsibility as premier to improve the lives of ordinary people. In fact, he had experienced firsthand people dying, because they did not have enough money for the treatment they needed. It was from that day he said “If I ever had the power I would, if it were humanly possible, see that the financial barrier between those who need health services and those who have health services was forever removed.” So, when he became premier he enacted the first Medicare plan in Saskatchewan, which in 1972 was adopted in all provinces in Canada. The universal health care system has many advantages and should be adopted by other countries as well. This system would decrease the world’s death rate, there are also many people out there who cannot afford health care and it would be easier with universal health care to have everyone under one system.
An analysis of the US and Canada’s systems reveals advantages and drawbacks within each structure. While it is apparent that both countries could benefit from the adoption of portions of the others system, Canada’s healthcare system offers several benefits over the US system.
The Canadian health care system promises universality, portability, and accessibility; unfortunately, it faces political challenges of meeting pub...
At the beginning of the 20th century healthcare was a necessity in Canada, but it was not easy to afford. When Medicare was introduced, Canadians were thrilled to know that their tax dollars were going to benefit them in the future. The introduction of Medicare made it easier for Canadians to afford healthcare. Medicare helped define Canada as an equal country, with equal rights, services and respect for every Canadian citizen. Medicare helped less wealthy Canadians afford proper healthcare. Canadian citizens who had suffered from illness because they could not afford healthcare, were able to get proper treatment. The hospitals of Canada were no longer compared by their patients’ wealth, but by their amount of service and commitment. Many doctors tried to stop the Medicare act, but the government and citizens outvoted them and the act was passed. The doctors were then forced to treat patients in order of illness and not by the amount of money they had. Medicare’s powerful impact on Canadian society was recognized globally and put into effect in other nations all around the world. Equality then became a definition which every Canadian citizen understood.
LaPierre, T. A. (2012). Comparing the Canadian and US Systems of Health Care in an Era of Health Care Reform. Journal of Health Care Finance, 38(4), 1-18.
Being a Canadian citizen, it is hard for me to think of life without any health insurance. I have had public health insurance all my life growing up and have been free to go to any hospital at any time and get some form of health care. Residing in the United States off and for the last 7 years I have experienced health care from both sides. I feel that private health care has huge advantages over public health care. In the following essay I will explain in three points why I feel strongly about private health care as opposed to public. What is better is always subjective, and I will not try to argue the point of health for all, but instead for the individual who is seeking the best health care possible, and is willing to put the resources into obtaining that. I will be addressing efficiency and quality, not inclusion of everyone (free health care), I will be addressing the root of this and not just that one argument, which would detract from my focus. I will not be getting into the political debate of socialism vs. capitalism, as that is a separate argument in itself, and this country is currently running under capitalism. Again coming from living in both a socialist and then a capitalist society, I feel I can do so in an unbiased manner.
Brian Lindenberg, “Canadian Healthcare: What Works and What Doesn’t | Benefits Canada,” accessed February 14, 2014, http://www.benefitscanada.com/benefits/health-wellness/canadian-healthcare-what-works-and-what-doesn%E2%80%99t-27647.
Gordon, M., Mintz, J., & Chen, D. (1998). Funding Canada’s health care system: A tax based alternative to privatization. Canadian Medical Association, 159 (5), 493-496.
Canada’s Health Care system is gradually growing to be a major concern in today’s society with providing Canadians with the standard of care they deserve. Health care has become an issue because of the shortage of doctors in Canada; many of them are either going to the U.S.A. or going to other countries to practice in hospitals and clinics. The earning cap imposed by the government has forced doctors to work fewer hours than are necessary to serve the public. Many Canadians are without a doctor to help them with their needs and emergency rooms are filled to capacity with no available beds for those who have to be admitted to the hospital. Waiting time for specialist and specialty tests have become so long that someone diagnosed with a major illness may die before they can be properly treated. Nurses and others in the medical field are overworked and understaffed because the government has made cut-backs to the Health Care System. We live in a country where our health care is a privilege to have, but getting ill is becoming a problem if there is not adequate facilities and professionals to care for the sick. Today’s society is aging longer than ever and will need health care longer than before; patients recovering from hospital stays are being sent home more quickly than ever before, and terminal patients are being sent home for their last days.
The public health care system in Canada is still flawed, proven through the wait times that many patients have to go through. Canadians may wait up to six to nine months for “non-urgent” MRIs . The waiting list is dreary for Canadians, unlike Americans who can get their services immediately through paying out-of-pocket, the long public sector in Alberta waits up to a year for services, the wait for cataract surgery was six weeks ; these waits for some patients put the public health care system to shame, and helps push the idea of the privatized health care system a bettering option for the future of the nation. Additionally, 41 percent of adult Canadians said they experienced a difficulty in accessing hospital and physician care on weekday nights and weekends . Furthermore, it is still evident that Canadians in fact pay a higher income tax compared to Americans, due to the fact that they are paying the fund the health care system through their taxes; however, it is still significantly less to pay for a public health care system than it is privatized . Privatization is further proved as a superior choice with regards to the discharge situation many Canadians face. In Canada, it is common to see patients discharged earlier than recommended due the rising amount of patients using the free-of-charge public health care system, patients are released “quicker and sicker” because of this . Additionally, when discharged, the public health care system does not cover home care and private nurse care ; further proving the notion that there is still some forms of privatization already in the health care system in
Canada and the United States are countries that are known to share some similar attributes, but the question people often ask is why they each possess a different path to health reforms. A universal healthcare system funded by the government in Canada, and a dual-tried system of medicare and medicaid targeted at the poor and elderly in the United States. This essay, will talk about key points from the article “Parting at the crossroad”, why I think the author Maioni is convincing in making her case, and also some Important “take home” messages that I came across from reading and analyzing the article.
The lives of a lot of Canadians are highly dependent on the prescription drugs that they take. Pharmaceuticals have become a part of almost everyone’s day-to-day life. However, over the past thirty years or so there have been dramatic increases in both the demand for drugs and their cost. On February 28, 2013, Steve Morgan published his article entitled “Canadians Are Over-Paying for Pharmaceuticals Year After Year” in the Huffington Post. He addressed the cons of a multi-payer system and talked about how a single-payer system would be beneficial to the Canadian health care system. This paper will address the reasons for which Canadians are paying an excessive amount for pharmaceuticals. Comparisons with various countries abroad and strategies to reduce drug costs will also be discussed.
Primary health care is the essential step to the Canadian health system. It is often associated with other specialized health care sectors, and community services. Many patients visit various services under primary health care such as family doctors' offices, mental health facilities, nurse practitioners' offices; they make phone calls to health information lines, for example, Tele-health; and receive suggestions from physicians and pharmacists (First Ministers; meeting on healthcare, n.d.). This service can prevent patients from visiting the emergency department, when all that is required is some guidance and advice. Having primary care services can reduce the consumption of acute beds, where only seriously ill patients can use the acute beds when it is available. Primary care not only deals with sickness care, but it helps patients receive preventable measures; it promotes healthy choices (Primary health care, n.d.). The focus on appropriate health care services, when and where they are needed, enhanced the ability of individuals to access primary care in various settings: at home, in a hospital or any number of family health care venues, such as Family Health Teams (FHTs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), or Nurse Practitioner- led clinics. This paper will look at the litigious heated argument in the Romanow Report concerning primary care. It will begin with a discussion of the outcome of the Accord on Health Care Renewal (2003) and The First Ministers' Meeting on the Future of Health in Canada (2004), both referring to primary care, which will then be followed with an assessment and analysis of the different ways in which the accords have been addressed in support of primary care. Followed by a discussion about the changes on ...
The healthcare system in Canada is funded largely by the federal government as determined by the constitution. However, the actual healthcare delivery and social services is left up to each province and territory. Each province has the power to pass legislation that governs the financing and delivery of healthcare services to Canadians residing in that province. This fact encourages all healthcare professionals who have a strong provincial association and want to advocate their position on healthcare to speak up, if they want something different. If a physician wants to start delivery of telemedicine to rural areas of the province, he or she can advocate their position and
In the beginning of this chapter, the unmet health care needs and the reasons for people not having met health care needs are discussed. The main issue as to why people are not receiving the health care they need is because they do not have health insurance: In the United States many people who do not have health care do not have it because their jobs do not offer employer-sponsored insurance. Unlike America, Canada is having issues with the extremely long waiting times to receive care, as Canadians could wait up to 18 weeks before meeting with a specialist.