The future and long-range planning of healthcare services: a Saskatchewan perspective

The Canadian health system is built upon five key principles: universality; accessibility; comprehensibility, public administration; and portability. Since the 1960s, the primary feature of the Canadian health system has been the universal provision of 'insured' services without direct cost to consumers. Funding for Canadian health care is derived primarily from the federal and provincial governments. Through this funding arrangement, the Canadian health system is primarily a 'public' enterprise in that the majority of funding is derived from taxation at either the federal or provincial level. Since its inception, this model of health coverage has been very popular with the Canadian public, since it provides all citizens with reasonable access to the insured services and accommodates the portability of those services. The model has also provided some measure of cost containment, primarily as a result of its public administration. However, the Canadian model in its present form has several significant shortcomings which has precipitated a need for change. The author discusses these.