Comments on: The True Meaning of Private Health Care http://thepatientfactor.com/health-policy-canada/the-true-meaning-of-private-health-care/ Thu, 02 Feb 2012 02:26:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: admin http://thepatientfactor.com/health-policy-canada/the-true-meaning-of-private-health-care/comment-page-1/#comment-386 admin Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:23:08 +0000 http://thepatientfactor.com/?p=669#comment-386 Colleen, You make some good points regarding access to health insurance but a government monopoly on health care and mandatory public health insurance not only limits an individual's freedom of choice in the quality, quantity and price of their medical care, it also exacerbates problems within these areas. Restoring the medical freedoms of patients and doctors is the first step to making improvements in the relationship between them and to providing future direction for our health care system. Colleen,
You make some good points regarding access to health insurance but a government monopoly on health care and mandatory public health insurance not only limits an individual’s freedom of choice in the quality, quantity and price of their medical care, it also exacerbates problems within these areas. Restoring the medical freedoms of patients and doctors is the first step to making improvements in the relationship between them and to providing future direction for our health care system.

]]> By: Colleen Fuller http://thepatientfactor.com/health-policy-canada/the-true-meaning-of-private-health-care/comment-page-1/#comment-384 Colleen Fuller Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:34:40 +0000 http://thepatientfactor.com/?p=669#comment-384 This is a very incomplete picture of Canada before medicare. In 1965, only 51% of Canadians had health insurance covering physician and other non-hospital services. So the precious relationship between patients and doctors that you've described here was certainly not available to all citizens. Today, only 51% of working Canadians have employer-sponsored extended health benefits that support access to services which fall outside of medicare. But the distribution of those benefits is very uneven. For example, fewer than 22% of working people under the age of 25 are covered by private insurance, only 47% of female employees, fewer than 20% of low-income earners. Many of those who have extended health benefits confront high deductibles and copays. In addition, as a review of the Canadian Human Rights Act put it, employers and insurers are able to “make numerous distinctions based on prohibited grounds of discrimination to control risks that insurers and employers feel are necessary to limit costs to keep plans affordable”. These “distinctions” are based on age, sex and disability – and, of course, ability to pay – all of which are prohibited under public health insurance laws and regulations. Thus many of the very people who are most likely to need physician and other forms of medical treatment are among the most likely to face discriminatory barriers to accessing private insurance benefits. This is a very incomplete picture of Canada before medicare. In 1965, only 51% of Canadians had health insurance covering physician and other non-hospital services. So the precious relationship between patients and doctors that you’ve described here was certainly not available to all citizens.

Today, only 51% of working Canadians have employer-sponsored extended health benefits that support access to services which fall outside of medicare. But the distribution of those benefits is very uneven. For example, fewer than 22% of working people under the age of 25 are covered by private insurance, only 47% of female employees, fewer than 20% of low-income earners. Many of those who have extended health benefits confront high deductibles and copays.

In addition, as a review of the Canadian Human Rights Act put it, employers and insurers are able to “make numerous distinctions based on prohibited grounds of discrimination to control risks that insurers and employers feel are necessary to limit costs to keep plans affordable”. These “distinctions” are based on age, sex and disability – and, of course, ability to pay – all of which are prohibited under public health insurance laws and regulations. Thus many of the very people who are most likely to need physician and other forms of medical treatment are among the most likely to face discriminatory barriers to accessing private insurance benefits.

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