Prior to World War II, health care in Canada was primarily privately delivered and funded. It was not until 1947, the first province-wide universal hospital care plan was introduced in Saskatchewan. (1) Fifteen years later, in 1962, Saskatchewan introduced a universal, provincial medical insurance plan that permitted all its residents to receive physician services. (1) Saskatchewan taking the lead and succeeding was soon noticed across Canada, and within six years all provinces and territories had universal physician services insurance plans. It was not until 1984, the Canadian Health Act was passed. (1) This legislation replaced the federal hospital and medical insurance act, by strengthening their principles and establishing criteria on portability,