Tag Archives: Private health care

Four things you should know about the pending Charter challenge against medicare Four things you should know about the pending Charter challenge against medicare
By Colleen Flood and Kathleen O'Grady

Isn’t it long past time our governments and our doctors work to ensure all Canadians – and not just those who can afford to pay – receive timely care?

Is waiting longer for new prescription drug approvals necessarily a bad thing?
By Alan Cassels

The newest report from Canada’s brand name drug makers on access to new drugs has one key message: compared to other countries, Canada goes slow and low. New drugs are slower to be covered by our provincial drug plans and the numbers of people who get access to new drugs are lower than in other countries.

Why we should think twice before we institutionalize national pharmacare Why we should think twice before we institutionalize national pharmacare
By Alan Cassels

Amalgamation always seems like a good idea. Greater Victoria has 13 municipalities, 13 councils, oodles of separate fire and police departments and multiple separate teams of garbage-persons, road fixers, parks maintainers and others that you need to keep our cities humming.

BC election represents crossroads for the future of medicine in Canada BC doctors’ election represents crossroads for the future of medicine in Canada
By Vanessa Brcic and Ryan Meili

Normally provincial medical association elections are not national news. The one vote difference between first and second place in the race for president of the Doctors of BC ­– later declared a tie after a recount – might be enough to grab people’s attention.

Backgrounder-The-UK-Health-Care-System Backgrounder: The UK health care system

Does more healthcare create better outcomes? In other words, do more medications, tests and interventions necessarily result in healthier patients?
It turns out more care is, all too often, unnecessary care.

Why is it so hard to get help for mental illness in Canada

February 24, 2015

In Canada, only one in five people with depression gets appropriate treatment. And in Ontario, only one in three patients discharged from psychiatric hospitalization will get a follow-up within the month. Why is Canada doing so poorly in helping people with mental illness?

Why Canadian employers waste $5 billion a year on inefficient drug coverage

February 3, 2015

Employers in Canada spend an estimated 5 billion dollars a year on drug coverage for their employees. Yet, private plans are notoriously inefficient and they often cover higher priced drugs that are not necessarily better for consumers’ health, explains Alan Cassels.

Surgical Wait Times for Publicly Funded Health Services in Canada Backgrounder: Surgical wait times for publicly funded health services in Canada
By Neeta Das McMurtry

Public opinion polls show many Canadians worry about surgical wait times. Anecdotal media reports and heated political debates encourage this worry. But the question remains: Are Canadians waiting too long for surgery?


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