Canadian Healthcare: Half Empty or Half Full?

Do we finally have a breakthrough on healthcare funding from the feds to the provinces?

On Tuesday February 7^th, my jaw dropped when I heard the announcement that Prime Minister Trudeau was prepared to increase healthcare funding by almost $200 billion over the next ten years. This is an enormous amount, albeit that some of this funding was previously announced.

The provinces, never happy, were cautious in their reactions and tried to frame this as just a first step in the right direction.

We should be very proud of our single payer healthcare system, which spends only 17% of healthcare funding on administration costs. We compare favourably with the privatized model south of the border where literally 34% of every healthcare dollar is paid for pushing paper.

My only disappointment with the announced massive injection of federal money is that implementation details are in short supply. And while the provinces have been united in demanding substantially more overall funding, each has its own priorities for spending, which will necessitate the federal government negotiating with each on an individual basis. No deals have yet been signed.

The Canadian healthcare system is complicated as national standards are set federally by the Canada Health Act, but the actual delivery of healthcare is legally the responsibility of the provinces. Both levels of government provide funding for the system.

The current crisis has also made it clear that other steps are needed to upgrade the healthcare system beyond just throwing more money at the problems. Improvements could include:

• Making it easy for healthcare professionals to work in any province with a single license. Currently, each province runs its own licensing system.
• Making it faster and easier for foreign-trained health professionals to work in Canada.
• Supporting multi-service community health centres, like REACH in Vancouver.
• Properly funding income supports, housing, and food for those with low incomes – all of which work to keep people healthy.

We are lucky to live in a country that prioritizes spending to secure the health of all. I believe our governments can and will take the steps necessary to fix our current problems.

We can thank Tommy Douglas for giving us the great healthcare system we have all grown to rely upon.

 

 

Daily atmospheric CO₂ [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]

Latest daily total (Feb 10, 2023): 420.33ppm

One year ago (Feb 9, 2022): 418.70ppm