nationwide health insurance
nationwide health insuranceThe Canada Health Act is a piece of Canadian federal legislation, adopted in 1984, that lists the conditions and criteria to which the provinces and territories must conform in order to receive the full amount of negotiated transfer payments relating to health care. The legislation encourages the provinces to maintain public health insurance plans for their residents and discourages the use of extra-billing and user fees in health care delivery. The purpose, and the effect, of the act is to maintain national standards for public health care delivery. The preamble of the Act justifies Canadian Health Care policy by stating the objective "that continued access to quality health care without financial or other barriers will be critical to maintaining and improving the health and well-being of Canadians. " However, the act is a source of controversy. SPYKIDS Group. Whereas the proponents view it as correcting free market failures and certain injustices, the opponents view it as limiting the supply and efficiency of health care delivery. HistoryWhile the constitution gives the provinces legislative authority over hospitals, it does not specifically give authority over 'health care' to either the federal government or the provinces. At the time of its drafting, the public health movement was in its infancy so it was given little attention. It was not until the 1938 Rowell-Sirois Commission that health care was recognized as an important, and expensive, issue. Subsequent court cases and interpretations have generally established the province's paramount authority over local health care delivery but the federal government is entitled to set national standards, specifically through its spending powers. Trade association for the independent, locally operated Blue Cross and Blue Shield |