How a B.C. court case could change the Canadian health care system

 By Karen S. Palmer A trial in the Supreme Court of British Columbia is deciding whether B.C.’s law — the Medicare Protection Act — infringes on our constitutional rights not to be deprived of life, liberty and security of the person except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice.

What’s at stake for medicare in B.C.

 By Danyaal Raza The Supreme Court of British Columbia is now hearing closing arguments in an historic legal challenge to the fundamental principles of Canada’s health care system. The corporate plaintiff — Cambie Surgeries Corporation — seeks to overturn key provisions in B.C.’s Medicare Protection Act that stand in the

The need for innovation in public health care

 By Dr. Melanie Bechard and Dr. Ali Damji On November 18, 2019, the Supreme Court of British Columbia will begin to hear closing arguments in a case that will decide the future of Canada’s health care system. In 2016, the for-profit Cambie Surgeries Corporation launched a constitutional challenge against B.C.’s

Putting patients first can save our health system

 By: Kapil Khimdas and Danyaal Raza  It’s no secret: Ontario is getting older. The number of seniors in our province has been steadily increasing and over the next twenty years, will double.  Including factors like increased use of health services and evolving technology, this will result in a substantial increase

Why Private Health Insurance Coverage in Canada Needs a Review

 Last week, the media carried a story about a nine-year-old boy in New Brunswick who was denied private health coverage because of his weight (at 5 foot 2 inches and 135 pounds).  His family were shocked – as were many reading the story – that a child could be denied

Reforming Healthcare Funding to Address the Needs of Our Aging Population

 Why we need a publicly funded insurance program for home care and long-term care By Réjean Hébert Funding home care and long-term care is fast becoming the main challenge of our outdated medicare system – a system developed in the mid-twentieth century for a young population that mostly required acute

Ten Medical Expenses You Didn’t Know Were Eligible for the Medical Tax Credit

 As Canadians we like to take pride in our publicly funded healthcare system, but the truth is many of us – especially those with or caring for someone with disabilities or chronic conditions – pay out of pocket for a wide range of essential health services.  Studies show Canadians pay

The New Health Accord could be Trudeau’s Most Significant Achievement

 Photo by Jean-Marc Carisse. Health Ministers Must Spend Smarter and Negotiate Wiser. This week the country’s 14 health ministers have been gathering in Vancouver for a pan-Canadian summit to begin negotiating a new Health Accord. The previous accord saw $41 billion transferred to the provinces over the last decade. This

What Should be Covered by our Publicly Funded Healthcare System?

 Patients and doctors need to learn the difference between ‘need’ and ‘want.’ All across Canada provincial governments are grappling with ever growing healthcare demands in the face of shrinking resources.  Our enviable publicly funded health system is now well into a downward spiral of unenviable disrepair.  As patients are becoming

Canadians Should Modernize not Privatize Medicare

 National Medicare Week has just passed, buoyed with optimism as a fresh-faced government takes the reins in Ottawa – elected partly on a promise of renewed federal leadership on health care.  Yet these “sunny ways” are overcast by recent developments at the provincial level that entrench and legitimize two-tier care. Saskatchewan

Dear Health Minister Philpott — We Need Leadership In Medicare Restored

 Dear Minister Philpott, It is fantastic news that as a family doctor you are our next federal health minister.  You will know very well that our healthcare system shows its age.  Born in the middle of the 20th century, its primary focus on doctors and hospitals is outmoded as technology

Canada has Mixed Wait Time Results in Health Care

 We need governments to promote best practices across the country and improve patient outcomes Wait times have long been a source of concern for Canadians, and in some jurisdictions, remain a significant problem. Recently the Canadian Institutes of Health Information (CIHI) released its report for 2015. There is both encouraging

Ambulance Fees are an Obstacle on the Road to Care

 Imagine you’re a physician seeing a six month old child in clinic. She has a fever and cough, she’s working hard to breathe and her oxygen levels are falling. You know she needs assessment in the emergency room and requires transportation in an ambulance in case her condition worsens en route.

Putting Healthcare on the Federal Election Agenda

 A federal election could be called any time in the next few months, judging by the media coverage and the ramping up of political activity. Many issues have been crowding into the media headlines in anticipation of the election -- but with a notable absence of any consideration of healthcare

Look to Alberta Today, Not 20 Years Ago, for Guidance on Private MRIs

 Allowing private MRI clinics does not shorten wait times in public system  This past week, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall took to twitter to ask the question “Is it time to allow people to pay for their own private MRIs in Saskatchewan like they can do in Alberta?” This came after

Five Things Most People Get Wrong About Canada’s Health-Care System

 By Kathleen O’Grady and Noralou Roos A recent court challenge before the British Columbia Supreme Court threatened to change the rules of the game for the Canadian health-care system—should the challenge have made its way to the Supreme Court of Canada and found success there. Dr. Brian Day of the

Why our Health System Works for Canada

 The Future of Medicare Depends on our Ability to Change In the past 18 months I have required two major, but unrelated surgeries, experiencing first hand Ontario’s version of Medicare. The two interventions necessitated down-time and an enforced idleness for reflection on life and what it means to be Canadian.

Inconsistency in the Cost of and Accessibility to Prescription Medications Drugs

 Canada’s health care system faces some daunting challenges. One of the crucial inconsistencies is the variation of access to prescription medications across the country. Like all other health-care services and products, prescription medications have a monetary value and are subject to inflation and the effects of Canada’s changing demographics. Let

Why Isn’t Health Care A Major Campaign Issue?

 Canadians’ commitment to a publicly funded universally based health care system remains as strong as ever. Yet the debate over the future of health care continues to rage on. The competing narratives should be by now familiar. On the one hand, commentators incessantly remind us that our health-care system is

In opposition against “a Phantom Prime Minister”: An interview with Stephen Harper

 By: Peter Gill Ottawa Life Magazine: If you were Prime Minister, how would you deal with Canada's declining military? How much money do you think needs to be invested in it? Stephen Harper: A lot. Numbers have been thrown around by various groups. The consensus seems to be you need