Before Medicare
What was one major reason some Canadians could not get medical care?
Who was the Saskatchewan premier strongly associated with the development of Medicare?
How many main Canada Health Act principles have we learned?
Which level of government administers New Brunswick's Medicare plan?
Provincial government / New Brunswick
A patient goes to a public hospital with appendicitis and requires medically necessary surgery. Generally: covered by Medicare or not?
Covered as an insured hospital/physician service.
True or False: In the 1800s, hospitals were generally the first choice for wealthy Canadians who became sick.
False. Hospitals were often associated with the poor, immigrants, soldiers/sailors, and could be overcrowded with high risk of infection.
What major healthcare change did Saskatchewan introduce in 1947?
Province-wide publicly funded hospital insurance/care.
Name THREE of the five Canada Health Act criteria
Any three: Public Administration, Comprehensiveness, Universality, Portability, Accessibility.
Which level of government administers the Canada Health Act?
Federal government
A healthy 30-year-old wants a routine eye examination. Is this automatically covered under basic Medicare?
No. Routine vision care is not one of the core insured physician/hospital services guaranteed through the Canada Health Act.
What did medical examinations of Canadian recruits during the Second World War reveal?
Many recruits had significant health problems, helping highlight broader health problems in the population.
By 1961, what type of healthcare coverage existed across all Canadian provinces and territories?
Publicly funded inpatient hospital and diagnostic services.
A New Brunswick resident becomes ill while temporarily visiting another Canadian province. Which Canada Health Act principle is most relevant?
Portability
Health Canada approves a new prescription drug for sale in Canada. Does that automatically mean New Brunswick Medicare will pay for it?
No. Federal authorization for sale and provincial public drug coverage are different decisions.
Complete the sentence: Canada's healthcare system isn't really “free”; it is more accurately described as ____________.
Publicly funded.
In the 1943 burn story we studied, why was the family initially unable to have their daughter admitted to hospital?
The hospital required $35 before admitting her, and the family did not have the money.
What happened in Saskatchewan in 1962 when medical insurance covering physician services was introduced?
A 23 day doctors' strike occurred.
A province says only residents earning less than $100,000 can qualify for its insured physician services. Which principle would this raise concerns about?
Universality
Who has the primary responsibility for organizing and delivering hospital services in New Brunswick?
The provincial healthcare system, with services managed/delivered through New Brunswick's Regional Health Authorities, Horizon and Vitalité.
What is the Canada Health Transfer?
A major federal transfer of money to provinces and territories to support healthcare.
Explain ONE way Canada's healthcare system before Medicare could create unequal access to healthcare.
Answers vary; e.g., ability to receive care could depend on ability to pay/private insurance, so people with less money could face greater barriers.
Why did some doctors oppose Saskatchewan's Medicare plan in 1962? Give TWO reasons.
Any two documented reasons such as concerns about physician independence, control over billing/income, government involvement in medicine, or opposition to what critics called “state medicine.”
A privately owned doctor's office provides an insured physician service. The public insurance plan pays for it and the patient isn't charged. Does the fact that the office is privately owned automatically violate Public Administration? Explain.
No. Public Administration concerns the administration of the provincial/territorial health insurance plan; it does not require every healthcare provider or facility to be government-owned.
A major public-health emergency affects all of Canada. Would healthcare responsibility be federal, provincial/territorial, or shared? Explain.
Provinces/territories have responsibilities for healthcare/public health within their jurisdictions, while the federal government has national public-health, coordination and other responsibilities. Both governments would be involved.
A healthcare service is covered by Medicare, but a patient has difficulty actually obtaining that care because it isn't readily available. What TWO concepts from class does this demonstrate are not the same thing?
Coverage and access.