Primer on Canada's Healthcare System Flashcards
If Alan Shepard says: “Students do not need to wear masks on campus?” Is that a policy?
Being encouraged to take action or not take action both count as policies.
What is the Constitution Act, 1867?
- The piece of legislation that CREATED Canada
- law passed by British parliament (on indigenous lands)
- Outlines the responsibilities’ of the national government that bring the provinces and territories together
- sets out exclusive powers of provinces
What are the exclusive powers of provinces as outlined by the constitution act 1867?
Section 92(a): “The Establishment, Maintenance, and Management of Hospitals, Asylums, Charities, and Eleemosynary Institutions in and for the Province, other than Marine Hospitals”
- Subsequent court decisions have interpreted these clauses as placing most of health care under provincial jurisdiction
What is Federalism?
- Divides authority among levels of government
- intentionally restricts the powers of the central government
- Gives the most power to the provincial and territorial governments; they have more autonomy to do what the want regarding specific issues
- The federal government has no authority to intervene in these matters
Federalism in Canada
- Canada does not, can NOT, have a national health care system because constitutional responsibility rests at the provincial and territorial level
Is Canadas health care system provincial or federal?
Provincial
Why cant federal government control health policies?
- Starts arguements between governments on who shuld be allowed to create policies
- ex. IVF policy was made by federal government and conflict arised
Purpose of Injection Sites
- Provided space for people to use drugs under supervisor of professionals
- Provides free-checking services (ie. For fentanyl)
- a form of healthcare
(Trying to reduce harm) - does not matter if the federal government is in support of them or not, because HEALTH is a PROVINCIAL matter
Canada Health Act, 1984
- an overarching framework for what healthy policy ought to do
- Canada health act is a direct consequence of federalism
- Since provinces have most authority on health, we needed consistency and standards that provinces must meet in regards to healthcare
- Sets out the objective of Canadian health care policy: “to protect, promote and restore the physical/mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate access to health services without financial/ other barriers
- Establishes criteria and conditions related to insured health services and extended health care services that the provinces and territories must fulfill to receive the full federal cash contribution under the Canada Health Transfer
What is the Canada Health Transfer?
- The transfer of cash from the federal government to provincial /territorial governments
- Transfers money based on their population
- Provinces decide what they want to do with this money (w/in the boundaries of the Canada health act)
5 conditions provincial health insurance plans must meet when delivering health care to receive CHT:
- Comprehensiveness
- Universality
- Accessibility
- Portability
- Public administration
** the conditions ensure
‘universal health care’
(aka Medicare)
What is Comprehensiveness?
Provincial insurance plans must insure/ financially cover) all “insured health services” provided
by physicians or within hospitals
- insure services: hospital/physician services, surgical/dental services
- For services to be insured, they must be deemed “medically necessary”
- it is up to provincial plans to determine which services are necessary for health insurance purposes
- Uninsured services: “ prescription renewals by telephone (not in person), medical notes for school, cosmetic services
What is Universality?
Provincial insurance plans (ie. OHIP) must cover 100% of insured health services for all insured persons under uniform terms and conditions
What is Accessibility?
Provincial insurance plans must provide insured
health services in a manner that is “reasonably accessible” to
all insured persons (e.g., no user charges or extra billing/fees)
**Must also provide reasonable compensation to its health
professionals
- Extra fees (ie. Paying a doctor to do an MRI sooner than you are planned to have one)
What is Portability?
Requires certain coverage for insured residents
when temporarily out of province, and specifies the waiting period before a resident moving to a new province/territory is eligible for insured health services
- You are covered if you travel across provinces effectively for under 3 months
- If you stay for over 3 months, you need to be under the new provinces health insurance system