By Karen Palmer British Columbia, Cambie Surgeries Corp. v. British Columbia, Canada, Canada Health Act, Canadian medicare, Day case, medicare, Private health benefits, Private health care, Public health spending, public-private
“Medicare,” provides public funding for all medically necessary hospital and physician services.
By Lee Tunstall Canada’s healthcare system, Canadian healthcare system, Commonwealth, elective surgery, International health systems, medical care, Private health care, social programs, U.S. healthcare
The U.S. health care system is not a universally accessible system – it is a publicly and privately-funded patchwork of fragmented systems and programs. Insured Americans are covered by both public and private health insurance, with a majority covered by private insurance plans through their employers.
Is waiting longer for new prescription drug approvals necessarily a bad thing?
By Alan Cassels Canada Health Act, cost of drugs, Drug coverage, drug plan, national drug, national pharmacare, pharmaceutical policies in Canada, prescription drug, Private health benefits, Private health care
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
By Alan Cassels Canada Health Act, cost of drugs, Drug coverage, drug plan, national drug, national pharmacare, pharmaceutical policies in Canada, prescription drug, Private health benefits, Private health care
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 doctors’ election represents crossroads for the future of medicine in Canada
By Vanessa Brcic and Ryan Meili British Columbia, Cambie Surgeries Corp. v. British Columbia, Day case, Private health care, private healthcare, provincial medical association, Public health spending, public healthcare
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.
By Lee Tunstall Canada’s healthcare system, Canadian healthcare system, Commonwealth, elective surgery, International health systems, medical care, Private health care, social programs, UK health care
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.
By appropriate treatment, Canada Health Act, mental disabilities, Mental health, mental health strategy, mental illness, mental illness help, pharmaceutical policies in Canada, Podcasts, prescription drug, Private health benefits, Private health care, psychiatric hospitalization, Psychiatrist
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?
By Canada Health Act, cost of drugs, Drug coverage, drug plan, employee drug benefits, Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical policies in Canada, Podcasts, prescription drug, Private health benefits, Private health care
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.
By Neeta das McMurtry Canada, elective surgery, health data, hospital, Private health care, private insurance, Privatization, public health care, surgery, surgical wait times, wait times, Waiting for care, waiting list
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?