Universal Health Care In Canada Essay

Improved Essays
Canada’s health care system serves to provide universal health care for all its citizens, regardless of income, medical history, or standards of living. Although this idea sounds rather appealing in theory it comes along with complications and is problematic in many ways. Despite Canada’s healthcare system being meant to provide universal healthcare to all citizens this often fails in regards to aboriginal people and people in Northern Canada, which includes the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Canada’s health care is a topic that causes great debate and controversy in Canada due to what is actually covered by the health care and the wait time to receive service, especially for aboriginals and those who reside in Northern Canada. The health care in Canada, medicare, was adopted in 1966 after it was first introduced by the former Premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas, who is known as the Father of Medicare. Douglas first introduced the idea for a universal health insurance in 1962, with a …show more content…
Two major barriers that create the disparities between urban Canadian territories and Northern Canada and the Canadian aboriginals health care services include the availability to physicians and the ability to keep physicians in rural Canada. Although people living in the North and aboriginals face many barriers that prevent their healthcare from being optimal they have begun taking steps to improve their situations, as stated in an article by Annette Browne, “Most provinces and territories now have well-developed strategies and incentives for recruiting and retaining health care

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Private Health Care System

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Introduction Private health care is known in Canada as care that is funded by private sources or by the patient themselves (DeCoster and Brownell 301). There are many different perspectives on whether or not Canada should privatize their health care system. In a situation like this, it must be taken into account what is best in the country’s eyes, and not the perspective of an individual or a single community (Uplekar 898). Quality health care is a concern for many people.…

    • 1447 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Statistics show that Indigenous people who experience racism and discrimination in a healthcare setting are less likely to access, engage or comply with treatment (Awofeso, 2011). If healthcare practitioners are better educated in the history and colonization it will help change our perception of Indigenous people and be more willing to assist them by providing accessible healthcare. This can be achieved by providing healthcare workers with access to Indigenous cultural education and training opportunities. Training will increase the understanding of the cultural and historic reasons why Indigenous…

    • 1162 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Indigenous peoples of Canada have been mistreated for years, yet only recently has our government began to rebuild this important and valuable relationship. Canadians are generally known for their welcoming attitudes and openness towards others, however this view has constantly been tested since the beginning of the twentieth century. The largest problem facing Canadians as a nation is the constant mistreatment and discrimination shown towards the Indigenous Peoples, who are the descendants of the original inhabitants of this land. This is such an important issue because we are taking away the fundamental rights of these people.…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    The Canadian health care system and related issues are hotly debated topics in Canada. The polarity of the debate is well represented in the somewhat divergent perspectives presented in the books: Health Care by Pat and Hugh Armstrong and The Canadian Regime by Patrick Malcolmson et al. Two aspects of the Canadian health care system are debated with vigor and vehemence, and will be the basis of the comparison between the two books, they are: federalism, and privatization. In Canada currently, the responsibilities of health care are split between federal and provincial governments, with the Federal government contributing about 20 percent of provincial health spending (225), 1 and while provinces provide the bulk of money, they adhere to federal…

    • 1720 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Great Essays

    - The racism that arises from these stereotypes has permeated the health care systems in several ways. The first is in the inability to see that Indigenous people continue to suffer from residential schools and the ‘sixties scoop’. Additional and extensive support for these groups is still needed in order to reach an “equal” healthcare system. The second is in the neglect and withholding of health services because of race (Ambtman-Smith Lecture 9). 2.…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For over a hundred years, Indigenous people have endured injustices and segregation in Canada’s Health Care system. In the book Medicine Unbundled, author Gary Geddes brings awareness to a shocking national story unfamiliar to many non Indigenous Canadians. The book includes heartbreaking interviews of Elders and their nightmares of unimaginable abuse and racism committed against Indigenous people in segregated hospitals and residential schools across Canada. In a country that prides itself on its diversity and inclusivity, the gap that lies between the rights of non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal Canadians is shocking. Looking into the future as an aboriginal nursing student and proud member of the Indigenous community, I am empowered by the…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Structural barrier is caused by the deeply entrenched institutional racism and white privilege in the Australian health system. Henry, Houston, and Mooney (2004) described the impacts of colonisation and its consequences to the well-being of Indigenous Australians. Little was done to address the impartiality they experience with the health system in spite of the government being aware of their current situation (Henry, Houston, & Mooney 2004). Conversely, the government’s effort to provide culturally secure services to Aboriginal people does not materialise due to inadequate funding (Henry, Houston, & Mooney 2004). In addition, the idea that the Indigenous Australians are able to cope with the changes within the health system is also a major drawback for them (McBain-Rigg and Veitch, 2011).…

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Canada is a good example of the principles of welfare state Liberalism because they provide everyone the right to have healthcare. However, Canada is only 70 per cent public because they have the insurance plan that citizens or companies have to pay for. These insurance plans only cover the outpatient drugs, non- acute long- term care, and dental and vision care. Canada’s Public healthcare covers health and physical services that are consider it as needs for citizens. In 1984 Canada created the “Canada Health Act (CHA)”, which is “ to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well- being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers”.…

    • 817 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    (Anderson et al. 2006) (Hunter, 2010) ‘Clinicians are now… more informed and resourced’ however this informed attitude is ‘part’ of a wider political movement. (Hunter 2006, 2007) (Hunter, 2010) A leading change from the 1960s to now is the ‘presence of Indigenous health professionals as clinicians and advocates’ (Fewquandie 2008) (Hunter, 2010) and ‘researchers and theorizers.’ (Brown 2009)…

    • 1492 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Every country’s vision is to have a universal health care system. A system that is not necessarily “free” but a system where everyone has equal opportunity to get the best health care being offered without partiality. Canada successfully implemented the universal health care for its citizens, but it is not perfect in any sense. Individual citizens are provided with preventive care and medical treatment from primary care physicians as well as access to hospitals, dental surgery and additional medical services (Canadian Health Care, 2014-2017, p.1). Some services under the healthcare system that are not covered or partially are things like prescription medication, physiotherapy, ambulance services, prescription eyeglasses as well as dental care.…

    • 1831 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Universality looks over all insured residents to provide them all with equal level of health care. Portability cover residents for health care when they move to different province or territory they are still provided with same way they were covered in their home province and it also cover residences that may have to leave the country. Accessibility is used to keep Canadian health care insured resident to have reasonable access for all the health care facilities and also it conforms that the services such as physicians, hospital, etc are providing reasonable beneficial services (Canadian Health Care). Thus, when The Canada Health Act looks over…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Canada’s system is different from the British system because even though it also is universal health care that is government funded, each province funds it and is somewhat of its own system with in a larger system. This may affect the portability of the system because although the systems are different they are part of a whole so it should be able to follow citizens regardless of their employment status or location. Although the insurance is funded by the government each province funds the majority of the cost and gets help from the federal government but that only accounts for 70% of all health care cost. The other 30% is covered by private insurer and people paying out of pocket. They refer to the system as nation health insurance or…

    • 207 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Food Insecurity In Canada

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Despite Canada being among the top (whatever #) countries economically, household food insecurity is still a persistent problem affecting every province and territory in Canada. Estimates from the 2011 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) (Reference) illustrate that off-reserve Aboriginal households in Canada experience food insecurity at a rate that is more than double (27%) that of all Canadian households. In line with this data, survey results indicate that “First Nations households in First Nations communities are considerably more food-insecure — and more severely food insecure — than the general Canadian population” (Ref), Moreover, results from the 2007–2008 International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey indicate that Nunavut has the…

    • 168 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    3-2-1 Reading and Response practice 1. Widespread pharma consideration program. 2. Expense paid on remedies. 3.…

    • 235 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    power removes abilities of Indigenous communities to self finance forms of development like water treatment infrastructure. The IA not granting band councils full municipality status limits their ability to self develop because they cannot fund water infrastructure through methods like levying a municipal tax for loans. Furthermore, the inability to levy a municipal tax also reduces their access to loans for infrastructure because they can not make repayment guarantees. The second dependency structure the IA creates is the lack of land title.…

    • 956 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays