Close X
Monday, November 25, 2024
ADVT 
National

Medicare On Trial As Private Vancouver Clinic Challenges Coverage Rules

The Canadian Press, 06 Sep, 2016 11:59 AM
    VANCOUVER — A lawsuit that begins today in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver has the potential to fundamentally change the way Canadians access health care.
     
    Dr. Brian Day, who operates a private surgical centre in Vancouver, is challenging B.C.'s ban on Canadians buying private insurance for medically necessary services already covered by medicare.
     
    Day alleges the restriction violates the constitutional rights of patients by forcing them to endure lengthy wait times, even as their health problems worsen.
     
    British Columbia's Ministry of Health, a defendant in the case, isn't commenting while the matter is before the courts, but has said its priority is to uphold the Medicare Protection Act and the benefits it safeguards.
     
     
    Adam Lynes-Ford of the B.C. Health Coalition, one of the interveners in the case, says a core Canadian value ensures patients have access to medical care based on need, not on ability to pay, but this case could derail that concept.
     
    The lawsuit, described by University of Ottawa law professor Colleen Flood, as one of the biggest constitutional cases "perhaps ever," is scheduled to continue for at least six months.
     
    "This is about making medicare better," says Day, arguing that opening the door for private insurance will ease pressure on the public system, freeing up resources that will cut wait times and boost quality of care for everyone, whether publicly or privately insured.
     
     
    "Every time you allow the Canada Health Act to be chipped away at, it's chipping away at some fundamental Canadian values," says Ian Culbert of the Canadian Public Health Association.
     
    He says he worries a victory for Day could introduce a hybrid public-private model of medicare, which he believes will lower the quality of care for those who can't afford private health insurance.
     
    In 2005, a Supreme Court of Canada decision gave Quebeckers access to private insurance when the top court ruled excessive wait times infringed on patients' constitutional rights.
     
    That decision was argued under the Quebec Charter, so didn't extend beyond that province's boundaries, but a judgment in Day's favour has the potential to affect health care delivery nationwide.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Pursuing Post-secondary Education Passions Now More Accessible And Affordable

    Pursuing Post-secondary Education Passions Now More Accessible And Affordable
    On August 1, in time for the 2016–17 school year, Canada Student Grant amounts increased by 50 percent;

    Pursuing Post-secondary Education Passions Now More Accessible And Affordable

    Vancouver Police Officers Cleared In Fatal 2015 Shooting In Downtown Eastside

    Vancouver Police Officers Cleared In Fatal 2015 Shooting In Downtown Eastside
    During the arrest, the 26-year-old Edmonton man was shot and died at the scene in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

    Vancouver Police Officers Cleared In Fatal 2015 Shooting In Downtown Eastside

    New Brunswick Sex-Abuse Ruling Sets Record As More Victims Sue Their Tormentors

    New Brunswick Sex-Abuse Ruling Sets Record As More Victims Sue Their Tormentors
    A 52-year-old woman was awarded $188,914 by the Court of Queen's Bench, including $125,000 for pain and suffering.

    New Brunswick Sex-Abuse Ruling Sets Record As More Victims Sue Their Tormentors

    Punjabi Is Now The Third Language In Parliament Of Canada

    Punjabi Is Now The Third Language In Parliament Of Canada
    According to Statistics Canada’s 2011 National Household Survey, 430,705 Canadians identified Punjabi as their mother tongue, making it the third most common language after English and French

    Punjabi Is Now The Third Language In Parliament Of Canada

    Thieves Use Chainsaws To Down Power Poles In Surrey And Strip Copper: BC Hydro

    Thieves Use Chainsaws To Down Power Poles In Surrey And Strip Copper: BC Hydro
    Hydro said the two poles were located on separate properties and their transformers were stripped of copper.

    Thieves Use Chainsaws To Down Power Poles In Surrey And Strip Copper: BC Hydro

    B.C. Campaign Against Overdose Deaths Ramps Up On Overdose Awareness Day

    British Columbia's joint task force examining the drug overdose crisis says International Overdose Awareness Day has never been more relevant.

    B.C. Campaign Against Overdose Deaths Ramps Up On Overdose Awareness Day