Archive for the ‘Health Policy Context’ Category

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Trudeau government unveils national pharmacare bill

Thursday, February 29th, 2024

Health Minister Mark Holland has unveiled the Liberal government’s plan to kick-start a national pharmacare program, introducing a bill that spells out a single-payer plan to cover prescription drugs and related medical equipment for diabetes and birth control… Holland introduced a short bill in Parliament Thursday that sets out steps to create the broader plan, all of which will depend on provincial governments’ agreement

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Missing teeth: Who’s left out of Canada’s dental care plan

Tuesday, January 30th, 2024

The choice is twofold: (1) Continue to create new medical care programs with a fill-in-the-gaps model and an income cap, like Canada is currently doing on dental care, or (2) Align new medical care programs with the principles of the Canada Health Act, which is based on the underlying principle of health care for all. The findings in this analysis of Canada’s nascent national dental care plan might also be relevant to the much anticipated announcement of a national pharmacare plan.

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Ford government’s controversial plan for private medical clinics will begin this spring

Sunday, January 21st, 2024

The Ontario government will approve more privately owned clinics to provide diagnostic services like CTs and MRIs and surgeries starting April 1… critics fear will bleed the public health system of doctors, nurses and other resources at a time when patients face record waits in hospital emergency rooms… Ontario currently has more than 900 private clinics in operation, mainly providing X-rays and other diagnostic services, and many of them predate [this] government.

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Understanding The Scope Of Private Healthcare In Canada

Thursday, January 18th, 2024

“The goal of this paper is not to argue either for or against private healthcare… It is simply to clarify what is meant by ‘private’ healthcare, and to explain the different ways provincial legislation currently permits or prohibits aspects of private healthcare. I also discuss the supply and demand side variables… and… offer an analysis of the relationship between provincial healthcare legislation and the Canada Health Act, with reference to the expansion of private healthcare in Canada.”

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The Government of Canada announces the creation of the Canadian Drug Agency

Wednesday, December 20th, 2023

The CDA will build on CADTH’s existing mandate… to include new work streams including: Improving the appropriate prescribing and use of medications… Increasing pan-Canadian data collection and expanding access to drug and treatment data… and, Reducing drug system duplication and lack of coordination that causes expensive inefficiencies and pressures… Once the CDA is operational, it will take on a greater role in the drug system to ensure Canadians can have better health outcomes and access the medications…

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After 57 years, Canadians finally have a reason to ‘say cheese’

Thursday, December 14th, 2023

Tooth decay is a preventable disease and a low-cost public health intervention. By publicly funding this care, we should be getting vastly improved preventive and primary care, better health outcomes, and new levers to contain costs… Today it’s not just kids and the elderly who need help. It’s the twenty-, thirty-, even forty-somethings whose jobs don’t come with benefits packages, and whose pay hasn’t kept up with soaring rents and groceries. 

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Canada is rolling out its dental care program.

Monday, December 11th, 2023

The program will be phased in, starting with seniors. Eligible Canadians aged 87 and above can start applying this month. Those aged 77 to 86 can start applying in January 2024, followed by those aged 72 to 76 in February. If you’re between the ages of 70 and 71, you can apply in March… Starting in May 2024, applications will move to an online portal, and will open up to seniors aged 65 and up. In June, anyone with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate, and eligible youth under 18, can also begin applying online. Everyone else meeting the criteria can apply online in 2025.

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National Pharmacare – Time to Get on With It

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023

National pharmacare is overdue. In 21st century healthcare, drugs are not a luxury nor a discretionary add-on. They are an essential part of healthcare delivery that should be covered universally. Canadians have already waited too long, and far too many of them don’t get the medication they need to stay healthy and manage chronic disease. The federal government can act as a catalyst by making a credible and responsible financial commitment… to improve public plan coverage.

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Ontario’s registered nurses are getting new prescribing powers — and some doctors aren’t happy about it

Tuesday, November 7th, 2023

Registered nurses will be able to independently prescribe and administer some medications — such as those for smoking cessation, immunizations and topical anesthetics for pain relief and wound care… Nurses who wish to participate must complete additional specialized education, for which registration is expected to begin in January… the change… will help make it easier for patients to get care while also reducing wait times at community clinics and hospitals.

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Ontario plans to expand midwives’ prescribing power

Tuesday, October 31st, 2023

Ontario is planning to expand the list of drugs that midwives can prescribe and administer, including allowing them to prescribe birth control… A spokesperson for Health Minister Sylvia Jones said the ministry is reviewing further scope-of-practice changes and is rolling them out based on advice from health-care partners.

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