Evidence Network

A primer on the legal challenge between Cambie Surgeries Corporation (led by Dr. Brian Day) and British Columbia — and how it may affect our healthcare system

“Medicare,” provides public funding for all medically necessary hospital and physician services.

Backgrounder: Making Sense of the U.S. Health Care System: A Primer

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?

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Backgrounder: Surgical wait times for publicly funded health services in Canada

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?