Understanding the Political Economy of the Evolution and Future of Single-payer Public Health Insurance in Canada

Understanding the Political Economy of the Evolution and Future of Single-payer Public Health Insurance in Canada PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Health insurance
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Understanding the Political Economy of the Evolution and Future of Single-payer Public Health Insurance in Canada

Understanding the Political Economy of the Evolution and Future of Single-payer Public Health Insurance in Canada PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Health insurance
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Book Description


Understanding the political economy of the evolution and future of single-payer public health insurance in Canada

Understanding the political economy of the evolution and future of single-payer public health insurance in Canada PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Thus, the broad purpose of this paper is to look at the shift from contributory to non-contributory health care finance, cost sharing between the federal and provincial governments, and the softening of public health insurance budget constraints through borrowing in order to understand the role these fiscal changes have played in the evolution of health care spending and to determine whether the s [...] According to Gagan and Gagan (2002, 94-95), the provinces, fearing that a national health insurance would be a "federal tax grab," called in the 1950s for health insurance to be a provincial initiative funded "primarily through generous transfer payments from the federal government." Under the 1957 HIDS and the 1966 Medical Care Act, the federal government agreed to share the costs of provincial h [...] This agreement to share the costs helped to persuade higher- income provinces Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario to join the federal plan even though their governments previously had expressed a commitment to the principle of private insurance for most of the population and to limiting the role of public programs to covering hard-to- insure groups such as the elderly and the poor.5 Boychuk (20 [...] The significance of the use of tax points through EPF, the CHST, and the CHT to allow the provinces to finance health care, however, is that, unlike cost sharing, it creates a clearer link in the minds of voters and politicians between health care expenditures and the tax price of health insurance - at least, it reduces the size of the subsidy of the health care services individuals obtain. [...] For an individual to support a positive level of government health care spending, then the tax price of public spending would have to be lower than the private insurance price the individual would 11 If a government requires the political support of at least 50 percent of voters, then the pivotal voter would be the median voter in the population.

Understanding the Political Economy of the Evolution and Future of Single-Payer Public Health Insurance in Canada (Technical Paper).

Understanding the Political Economy of the Evolution and Future of Single-Payer Public Health Insurance in Canada (Technical Paper). PDF Author: J. C. Herbert Emery
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 17

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Surprisingly little attention has been paid to how we pay for health care affects how much we spend on health care. In this paper, I discuss how noncontributory finance and effective subsidization of public health care spending with federal cost sharing crowded out demand for private insurance as voters opted for high levels of public health spending. From this perspective, the Romanow Report's call for increases in federal cash transfers to provinces for health care spending would result in an increase in provincial health spending and a diminution of the demand for private health insurance. It is not clear, however, that federal subsidization of health spending is either sustainable or socially desirable. Indeed, as Canada's population ages, the current financing of health care represents enormous unfunded liabilities for the provinces. To sustain current levels and growth rates of health spending without tying current revenues to that objective means asking the next generation of working Canadians to pay far more for their health care than do working Canadians today. Although the effect of population aging on health care expenditures is projected to be modest, it could trigger a serious political crisis for Canadian medicare as taxes rise.

Parting at the Crossroads

Parting at the Crossroads PDF Author: Antonia Maioni
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691221286
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 223

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Book Description
As almost all newspaper or magazine readers know, Canada figured prominently in the turbulent U.S. debates over health care reform in the early Clinton presidency. Furthermore, future news analysts and policymakers will undoubtedly again use Canada to cite the "good" and the "bad" aspects of single-payer national health insurance. Beyond the debate about the desirability of Canadian-style health care reforms, Antonia Maioni sees another question: Why did the United States and Canada, alike in so many ways, part "at the crossroads" to produce such different systems of health insurance? She answers this previously neglected query so interestingly that her book will hold the attention of anyone concerned with health care in either country or both. The author explores the development of health insurance in the United States and Canada, from the emergence of health care as a political issue in the 1930s to the passage of federal health insurance legislation in the 1960s. Focusing on how political institutions influence policy development, she shows that Canada's federal structure and its parliamentary institutions encouraged a social-democratic third party that became pivotal in demonstrating the feasibility of universal, public health insurance. Meanwhile, the constraints of the U.S. political system forced health care reformers to temper their own ideas to appeal to a wide coalition within the Democratic party. Even readers previously unfamiliar with Canadian politics will find in this book important clues about the "realm of the possible" in the uncertain future of U.S. health care.

Canada: The State of the Federation, 2011

Canada: The State of the Federation, 2011 PDF Author: Nadia Verrelli
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
ISBN: 1553392086
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
In this edition of Canada: State of the Federation, contributors consider whether and to what degree the relationship between the central government and the provincial and territorial governments has changed in the past decade. The authors address three overarching questions. First, is the power base changing in Canada? If so, how are governments responding? Second, what are the implications of the changing environment for the relationships between governments? And third, are there underlying forces – such as economic or technological change, or demands for citizen engagement – that are pushing some provinces and regions to become more assertive in the global environment? The papers are organized into four categories: those that identify and analyze the changing federal environment; those concerned with the implications of the 2011 federal election; those that deal with health policy and economic federalism; and those that explore the growing importance of the North and the changing dynamics among the provinces and the federal government. Among the topics discussed are the impact of a majority government based on a West-Ontario coalition, with Quebec represented primarily by the Opposition, the implications of the trade-off between health care spending and the public financing of other essential public goods, and second-generation trade agreements, such as the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Trade Agreement.

Health Care Federalism in Canada

Health Care Federalism in Canada PDF Author: Katherine Fierlbeck
Publisher: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP
ISBN: 0773589422
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 323

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Book Description
Now that Ottawa has left health care to the provinces, what is the future for Canadian health care in a decentralized federal context? Is the Canada Health Act dead? Health Care Federalism in Canada provides a multi-perspective, interdisciplinary analysis of a critical juncture in Canadian public policy and the contributing factors which have led to this point. Social scientists, legal scholars, health services researchers, and decision-makers examine the shift from a system where Ottawa has played a significant, sometimes controversial role, to one where provinces have more ability to push health care design in new directions. Will this change inspire innovation and collaboration, or inequality and confusion? Providing an up-to-date analysis of health care policy and intergovernmental relations at a crucial time, Health Care Federalism in Canada will be of interest to anyone concerned with the current dynamics and future potential of Canadian health care. Contributors include Greg Marchildon (Canada Research Chair at the Johnson-Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy in Saskatchewan), Ken Boessenkool (public affairs strategist and former political advisor to Stephen Harper), Adrian Levy (Professor and Head, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University), Boris Sobolev (Canada Research Chair at the School of Public and Population Health, University of British Columbia), Gail Tomblin Murphy (Director, WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Workforce Planning and Research), and David Haardt (Department of Economics, Dalhousie University).

National Health Insurance in Canada and Australia

National Health Insurance in Canada and Australia PDF Author: Malcolm Clarence Brown
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 126

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Health Insurance and Canadian Public Policy

Health Insurance and Canadian Public Policy PDF Author: Malcolm Gordon Taylor
Publisher: McGill Queens Univ
ISBN: 9780773535695
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 563

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Book Description
Medicare in Canada is not only this country's most treasured social programme, it has become a defining national characteristic. Even with recent concerns over flaws in the system - long waiting times, shortages of key service providers - leading to questions about the possible benefits of a two-tiered approach, the consensus is that single-payer, publicly funded health care has worked for forty years to provide Canadians with accessible, high quality services at a much lower cost than in the mainly for-profit system in the US. InHealth Insurance and Canadian Public Policy, Malcolm Taylor describes the emergence of Medicare, providing an interesting window into current health care debates. He discusses the seemingly endless series of federal-provincial exchanges and negotiations involving issues of jurisdiction, cost allocations, revenue transfers, and taxing authorities as well as efforts to accommodate opposition from various special interests that would eventually evolve into a system that provided access to adequate health care for all Canadians on the basis of need, irrespective of financial circumstances. Long considered the definitive study of Medicare in Canada,Health Insurance and Canadian Public Policyclearly identifies the crucial contribution of political courage and leadership in achieving a single-payer, publicly funded system. A new introduction by Allan Maslove discusses the book's relevance to contemporary debates and drives home two important themes - that conflicts between federal and provincial governments are not new and that, in spite of opposition from various organized interests, strong popular support for Medicare insured that the initial project was not derailed.

Health Insurance and Canadian Public Policy

Health Insurance and Canadian Public Policy PDF Author: Malcolm Gordon Taylor
Publisher: Institute of Public Administration of Canada = Institut d'administration publique du Canada
ISBN: 9780773506299
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 563

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Book Description
In Health Insurance and Canadian Public Policy, Malcolm Taylor describes the emergence of Medicare, providing an interesting window into current health care debates. He discusses the seemingly endless series of federal-provincial exchanges and negotiations involving issues of jurisdiction, cost allocations, revenue transfers, and taxing authorities as well as efforts to accommodate opposition from various special interests that would eventually evolve into a system that provided access to adequate health care for all Canadians on the basis of need, irrespective of financial circumstances. Long considered the definitive study of Medicare in Canada, Health Insurance and Canadian Public Policy clearly identifies the crucial contribution of political courage and leadership in achieving a single-payer, publicly funded system. A new introduction by Allan Maslove discusses the book's relevance to contemporary debates and drives home two important themes - that conflicts between federal and provincial governments are not new and that, in spite of opposition from various organized interests, strong popular support for Medicare insured that the initial project was not derailed.

The Political and Economic Sustainability of Health Care in Canada

The Political and Economic Sustainability of Health Care in Canada PDF Author: Howard A. Palley
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781624993589
Category : HEALTH & FITNESS
Languages : en
Pages : 211

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Book Description
Canada has a complex health delivery system which is a conglomeration of 13 public plans--10 provincial and three territorial as well as a number of federally administered plans serving special populations such as Aboriginals and Veterans--all providing full coverage for most hospital and physician services as well as partial coverage for many services that vary among plans. The importance of this study is that it examines how the public/private sector relationship in health care delivery--particularly that of the for-profit sector--has developed both historically and in recent years, in three subnational provincial jurisdictions within a federal system. The case study provinces are Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta. The study examines both similarities and differences in this development. These provinces are highly distinct in their political culture and political history affecting health care delivery. Ontario and Quebec are Canada's most populous provinces and Alberta is an increasingly populous prairie state. Alberta is unique in its long-time governance of the Progressive Conservative party and its predecessor the Social Credit Party. Ontario has had a more variable political history with periods of Progressive Conservative, New Democratic Party and Liberal leadership and in recent years Quebec governance has shifted between the Parti Qu becois and the Liberal Party. In this study, one dimension that the authors examine are political dispositions to act regarding public/private initiatives in health care delivery and how this affects health care delivery in these provinces. Provincial medical and hospital plans are constrained by the Canada Health Act of 1984. For necessary medical and hospital services, the provinces and territories must adhere to the five principles of the Act in order to receive federal funding. However for other extended health care and health care-related services, there are federal contributions that are not constrained by these principles--although subject to reporting obligations. Another factor providing some flexibility in provincial Medicare plans is that necessary hospital and medical services are not enumerated in the Canada Health Act. This has allowed some "delisting" of services which is discussed in the case studies. In the provincial case studies, the authors examine how the federal/provincial dynamic in the delivery of health care services has worked out in the three provinces, with respect to similarities and differences regarding the involvement of the for-profit sector both within and outside the respective Medicare systems. They also examine how the fiscal setting has affected both political and economic sustainability pressures with respect to inclusion of private commercial initiatives in these three provincial settings. The authors note that these initiatives occur both within and external to Canadian provincial Medicare systems and that there is a need to see that such initiatives are held publicly accountability to meet equity and access goals. The study utilizes government documents, press reports and personal interviews to draw a picture of health delivery developments within the Canadian federal context. This study adds to the comparative health policy literature by applying a comparative approach to subnational provincial cases. It is also noteworthy to note that globally, many nations' health insurance plans incorporate a mixed public and private health delivery system, albeit that the mixes of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations will vary with respect to the ideological, political, cultural and historical characteristics of various nations. This is an important book for collections in Canadian studies, political science, and public health.