Health Care Services In Canada

Introduction

Health care services in Canada have been seen as in crisis but some factors such as quality, access to medical care and patient satisfaction on healthcare provided are of high standard quality (Raisa, 2003). This has resulted to the government of Canada learning some lessons on how to reform healthcare in order to avoid such negative issues in its health policy on medical care. Some lessons include; understanding the relevance of universal coverage, jurisdiction, economic laws and health markets, importance of single payers as well as understanding how health care systems should be developed and organized on a likely basis of sub national form (Lomas, Woods & Veenstra, 1997).

Health care insurance and financial spending

Although health care seems to be in crisis to most of industrialized countries, Canadian government has learnt a lesson on how control it’s spending on health care at the same time maintaining high quality health services to its citizens (Howlett, Michael, Evert & Lindquist, 2004). Majority of Canadian provincial commissions conducted out a research on health care and came up with recommendations that health services in Canada needed greater reforms (Tuohy, 1999). The government spending on health services has been well controlled.

The government has also given into consideration the key issues including financing public institutions with adequate funds as well as delivery of health care services (Hutchison, Abelson & Lavis, 1997). However, there are some few factors that have affected the Canadian health reform. The major factors include existence of intergovernmental disputes with provincial and federal systems of government. The disputes arise due to determination of how health care programs should be operated and what kind of incentive structures should be given attention for any kind of payment (Raisa, 2003). Despite all this misunderstandings on reforming the entire health insurance of the Canadian government, there have been plans on insuring and financing all public and provincial health care facilities. There is no socialized medicine in Canada but private healthcare providers do provide for these services.

Economic laws on health care markets

Another factor that Canada has learnt on health reforms is how to follow economic laws on health care markets. Health economists have come up a theory of enforcing healthcare to the Canadian citizens (Holmes, Dave, Stuart, Murray, Amelie, Perron & Genevieve, 2006). Canadian analysts on health policy have also developed a principle of defending any single tier funded medicine that targeted Canadian delivery of health services (Howlett, Michael & Ramesh, 2003). This is according to economic efficiency and not according to equity as it has been a culture for majority of other countries. There is also a change on how health care systems pay attention on the flow of resources from individuals who pay for health care and those who deliver it (Raisa, 2003).

Universal coverage

One of the major lessons Canada has learnt on health reforms is on how important is to attain universal health coverage at a lower cost than attaining it through pluralistic approaches of funding (Raisa, 2003). The Canadian government has got universal coverage that results to efficient health care outcomes and gaining public satisfaction (Tuohy, 1999). However in some circumstances, politics tend to influence the universal coverage on government health reimbursement decisions (Raisa, 2003). Therefore the Canadian government has learnt a lesson on how to avoid risk selections because this could result to worst results with high costs. The Canadian government is also trying to ensure that all its citizens are insured with health policy because it believes this will make the health care services better (Evans, 1997).

Jurisdiction

Another important lesson that Canada has learnt is on how important is to control difficulties that have been imposed by federalism. The Canadian health policy has in some extent been damaged by existence of national and provincial government battles and this has resulted to undermining the public confidence the citizens of Canada have on the government on reforming health care services (Church & Barker, 1998). Therefore the government has learnt how to maintain balance between respecting the jurisdiction of provincial government and imposing health national standards.

Reference

Canada Royal Commission on health services Vol 1. Ottawa 1964

Church J, Barker P, (1998), Regionalization of health services in Canada: a critical perspective, int journal of health services.

Evans R, (1997) Going for the Gold: The redistributive agenda market –based health care reform, journal of health politics and policy law

Holmes, Dave, Stuart, Murray,J, Amelie, P & Genevieve R, (2006). Deconstructing the

Evidence-based discourse in health sciences: Truth, power and fascism. International

Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare

Howlett, Michael & Evert, L, (2004). Policy Analysis and Governance: Analytical and

Policy Styles in Canada. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis

Howlett, Michael & Ramesh, M (2003). Studying Public Policy: Policy Cycles and Policy

Sub systems. 2nd ed. Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.govpmc/articles/

Hutchison B, Abelson J, Lavis J, (1997) Primary Care in Canada: So much Innovation, So Little Change, health aff-Millwood Press

Lomas, J, Woods, J, Veenstra, G, (1997) Devolving authority for health care in Canada’s province: an introduction to the issues. Medical association journal

Raisa, B, (2003) Health care reform: Lessons from Canada, ‘international perspectives forum’ American Journal of Public Health.

Tuohy, C, (1999), Accidental logics: Dynamics of the Change in the Healthcare field in US, Britain and Canada, New York oxford university press.