Canadian health care is one of the few areas that the government is rightly proud of. Health care in Canada is publicly funded and is best described as a system of insurance and health plans for ten provinces and three territories. This system is known as Medicare and provides free or virtually free health care to all Canadian citizens.
This structure was developed because health care in Canada is administered by local, provincial governments, not the federal government. Each province or territory’s health care system is bound by the same principles that are set at the national level.
The management and provision of health care services in Canada is the responsibility of each individual province or territory. Provinces or territories plan, fund, and evaluate the provision of hospital care, therapists and other specialists, and some medicines.
The federal government’s role in the health care system is limited to establishing and enforcing the general principle of Medicare, partial funding of provincial or territorial health programs, and other functions specified in the Canadian constitution. One of these functions is the direct medical care of special groups of Canadian citizens, which include veterans, aboriginal Canadians living on reserves, military personnel and members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Other functions are prevention and protection of public health and promotion of healthy lifestyles.
Canada’s health care system relies primarily on primary care physicians, who make up about 51% of all practicing physicians in Canada. They are the conduit between the patient and the formal health care system, and control access to most specialist physicians, hospital care, diagnostic checks and prescription medications. Such a family doctor can be changed an unlimited number of times on the advice of acquaintances and changes in mood.
In Canada, however, there is no “public health” system where doctors work directly for a government agency. Most doctors have their own private practice and enjoy a high degree of autonomy. Some doctors work in hospitals or local health centers. Private physicians are paid by the government based on the care provided, with such physicians paid directly from the provincial or territorial budget. Therapists who do not have a private practice receive either a set salary or a fee based on the amount of care provided.
When Canadians need medical care, they go to the therapist or clinic of their choice and show their health insurance card, which is issued to all legal citizens and residents. Canadians do not pay directly for medical services provided, and they do not need to fill out various forms for services covered by insurance. There are no monetary limits or co-payments for such services.
Dentists are independent of the health care system, except when an emergency dental surgeon is needed. Pharmacies are also independent of the government.
More than 95% of all Canadian hospitals are non-profit private organizations, run by a local board of directors, volunteer organizations or municipalities.
In addition to the national health insurance system, provinces and territories also provide health care services for those who need complementary health care services – the elderly, children and the unemployed. These supplemental health care packages often include free medicines, dental care, eye care, various devices for the disabled (prostheses, wheelchairs, etc.), and more.
Although the provinces and territories provide additional services to some segments of the population, these services are in the private sector, which means that residents pay for them directly out of their own pockets. The sensible thing to do in this case is to buy insurance that covers most of the costs of dental services, opticians, etc. Such insurances are often included in the compensation package offered along with wages.
When moving from one province to another, Canadian residents can still count on free medical care.
