Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 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

    Quebec Man Caught Crossing Border With Sled Full Of US$1.6 Million Drugs Sentenced In Vermont

    Quebec Man Caught Crossing Border With Sled Full Of  US$1.6 Million Drugs Sentenced In Vermont
    The 21-year-old had pleaded guilty earlier this year to a single charge of possession with intent to distribute.

    Quebec Man Caught Crossing Border With Sled Full Of US$1.6 Million Drugs Sentenced In Vermont

    Trial Begins For Ontario Woman Who Gave Water To Pigs En Route To Slaughter

    Trial Begins For Ontario Woman Who Gave Water To Pigs En Route To Slaughter
    Anita Krajnc was charged after the pigs' owner filed a complaint with police shortly after the incident that occurred in June 2015 in Burlington, Ont.

    Trial Begins For Ontario Woman Who Gave Water To Pigs En Route To Slaughter

    Evacuation Order Stands As Hot Spots Flare On Wildfire Near West Kelowna, B.C.

    Evacuation Order Stands As Hot Spots Flare On Wildfire Near West Kelowna, B.C.
    WEST KELOWNA, B.C. — Services are slowly being restored to an area damaged by wildfire near West Kelowna, B.C., but an evacuation order covering 105 properties remains in effect.

    Evacuation Order Stands As Hot Spots Flare On Wildfire Near West Kelowna, B.C.

    Investel Launches Canadian Patent Infringement Case Against SnapChat Geofilters

    Investel Launches Canadian Patent Infringement Case Against SnapChat Geofilters
    Investel Capital Corp. is taking aim at SnapChat's ability to pinpoint the geographic location of its social media users.

    Investel Launches Canadian Patent Infringement Case Against SnapChat Geofilters

    Alberta Police Watchdog Investigates Whether Mountie Hit Pedestrian Who Died

    Alberta Police Watchdog Investigates Whether Mountie Hit Pedestrian Who Died
    The 41-year-old man died at the scene early Sunday on Highway 881 about 75 kilometres south of Fort McMurray.

    Alberta Police Watchdog Investigates Whether Mountie Hit Pedestrian Who Died

    From Lobster To Loofah? B.C. Chemist Works To Turn Shells Into Plastics

    From Lobster To Loofah? B.C. Chemist Works To Turn Shells Into Plastics
    VANCOUVER — Where most people see an empty shell after a tasty dinner, a scientist in Vancouver sees an opportunity to create a sustainable new plastic.

    From Lobster To Loofah? B.C. Chemist Works To Turn Shells Into Plastics