Putting more federal funding into public health care is a smart investment. Better, universal coverage creates better outcomes for everyone.
Did you know?
- When Medicare was introduced, federal and provincial governments each covered 50 per cent of the cost. But the federal share has gotten smaller over time. Under the newest agreements with provinces, the federal share ranges from 21 to 29 per cent.
- The 2004 Canada Health Accord set strong national health care standards for wait times, home care, prescription drugs, and primary care. The accord provided a 6 per cent annual increase in health care funding to all provinces and territories, until the Conservative government let it lapse in 2014.
- In 2017, the Liberals negotiated new, separate health care deals with the provinces and territories. The newest agreements, reached in 2023, promise funding for provinces, but have no new national health care standards.
- Only 60 per cent of new federal funding has to be spent on public health care. The federal government is letting provinces spend the rest as they choose. Many are using it to fund private, for-profit health care.
- Redirecting public money to for-profit health care companies starves the public system and creates a two-tier system, that caters to wealthy patients.
- We need national standards to make sure provinces and territories deliver comparable quality and services, and public money stays in the public system.
The federal government should increase support for public health care.
To simply maintain our current health care services, we need federal funding to increase by a minimum of 5.2 per cent per year, all of which should go to supporting public health care.
Just like hospitals and doctor visits, new programs like Pharmacare and the national dental care plan must be publicly administered. This will allow us to strengthen and expand health care for all Canadians.
- All federal health care dollars transferred to the provinces and territories must be invested in public, not private, services. The federal government must ensure that these funds are directed to the public system only, while allowing provinces flexibility in how they allocate funds within that framework.
- New national health care standards should be created that ensure that no matter where you live in Canada, you can expect to receive a comparable type, level, and quality of care.
- Provinces and territories with more seniors should receive a demographic top-up to offset the impact of population aging on health costs.
- Funding should be increased for First Nations’ and Inuit peoples’ territorially based health care facilities and services.
- Prescription and dental services should be accessible through universal Medicare coverage, the same as any other health care service.
In Canada, we value our universal public health care system. We need a strong federal commitment to protect and promote that value.
Public solutions deliver more, cost less and cover everyone.
Medicare is the bedrock of Canadian social policy. The federal government needs to set strong national standards and ensure that our health care needs are met through a universal, public system.
We need to demand the federal government act now to ensure no more public money goes to private, for-profit care.