BCMA Presentation to the Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada – A Vision for Sustaining Medicare

New thinking is required to ensure that Canadians have timely access to medically necessary services.

Canada’s public health care program has been shaped by the principles of the Canada Health Act (CHA): universality, comprehensiveness, accessibility, portability and public administration. Although these principles remain basically sound, today’s reality demands that they be subjected to serious review and refinement through a clear articulation of their scope and limits. The health care system must become more patient focused and deliver more available, timely and continuous high quality care. BC doctors, therefore, agree with the opinion of the Royal Commission that the Canada Health Act should be revisited.

Fiscal constraints, compounded by increasing demand, a growing and aging population and technology costs, continue to mount. In the past, initiatives in health care reform have attempted to manage the sustainability crisis by introducing a series of supply side measures to control costs. However, improved efficiency alone cannot meet the demands expected in the future. Alternative options for relieving pressure on the public system need to be explored.

In May 2001, the Doctors of BC (then, the BC Medical Association) released a major policy paper, “Turning the Tide – A New Course for Health Care”, containing twenty-nine recommendations for restoring the Medicare program. This 2002 presentation is based on that research and focuses on: 

1. a values-based vision for health care
2. redefining Medicare 
3. effective public-private partnerships, and
4. reorganizing care delivery.

For the full policy paper, please see “BCMA Presentation to the Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada – A Vision for Sustaining Medicare”.