Be careful, Canada — lessons from the Irish healthcare system

 Be careful what you wish for, Canada. One way or the other, Canadian courts are about to take some key decisions about the role of private financing and practice in your healthcare system; the on-going Cambie trial in British Columbia is just the latest attempt to overturn fundamental components of

The Other Drug Problem in Canada’s Cities

 How Canada’s piecemeal pharmaceutical drug insurance coverage costs Canadian cities—and taxpayers—plenty Canada's cities face a number of problems: traffic, housing, crime, infrastructure—the list goes on. Prescription drugs are one of these problems—one that is costing local governments as much as $500 million every year. How so? Municipalities, like most employers,

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

What Problem Do We Believe Private Health Insurance is Going to Fix?

 Canada is about to face its second court challenge over restrictions on private health insurance when Dr. Brian Day’s case appears before the courts in September 2014.  It is true that there are examples of jurisdictions that value universal health insurance coverage and also allow private insurance – the UK