Five Principles of the Canada Health Act

Assignment 1: Short Answers
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Assignment 1: Short Answers
1 Five principles of the Canada Health Act
Canada Health Act entails a list of conditions that both the provincial insurance programs must meet for them to secure funding from the federal government. These are the five conditions/ principles laid out in the Canada Health Act;
Public administration- This refers to accountability for all the funds delivered to the provincial governments. The act, therefore, requires the provincial governments to provide a detailed account of their spending and what needs to be done in the future (Brown,1980). It is a crucial principle because it prevents wastage of public funds, and at the same time, enhances transparency in all government’s expenditures (Brown, 1980). The provincial governments are mandated to determine how the federal funds are used and discuss any kinds of deficits with the federal government. Public administration is related to the issue of accurate planning for human health resources and accountability for such resources (Brown, 1980). Proper planning is, therefore, crucial in the healthcare sector because many people rely on the policies put in place by the government.
The second principle is accessibility. This condition requires all the Canadians to have access to the insured health services without any conditions. The public is, therefore, not expected to pay additional charges for the already insured services (Brown, 1980). It is the responsibility of a government to provide quality healthcare systems to its people. This means that the government should construct hospitals, employ nurses, and ensure a sufficient supply of drugs at all times to maintain quality health. These principles, therefore, relate to the issues of healthcare cost control and how the government should lower the costs of health to its people.
The additional principle of the Canada Health Act is comprehensiveness. This principle requires all provincial insurance programs to cover a broad range of healthcare services. As such, no insurance program would receive federal funding if it is not comprehensive enough to secure such funding (Wildavsky, 1979). It is an important condition because it ensures that all the registered insurance programs relate to the patient’s demands (Wildavsky, 1979). The public is often on the search for a comprehensive insurance cover that focuses on their health entirely. The principle, therefore, maintains quality health standards at all times.
The fourth principle is called universality. This principle requires the provincial governments to insure all the Canadian for all the care they can look for in the hospitals. As a result, Canadians are required not to pay any premium, whether monthly or annually for such healthcare services (Brown, 1980). The principle, therefore, reduced the financial, medical burden for all Canadians and ensures that the public has access to quality care at all times (Brown, 1980). It is an integral condition which is in line with the nation’s commitment towards a universal health care system. The principle ties the provincial governments to remains committed to the national government’s healthcare universal programs.
The fifth principle is called portability. This is an essential condition that assures Canadians that they are still covered with the healthcare programs in their provinces for a short period after leaving the same province. The principle originates from the word “portable,” meaning that a Canadian can claim a health insurance cover after a short absence from the province. A Canadian is, therefore, expected to state the amount of time he/she has been absent from the province to benefit from the health provincial health insurance programs.
2 The main provisions in the Canadian constitution affecting health care
The Canadian constitution gives the provincial governments authority to establish and maintain healthcare centers such as hospitals. Additionally, the same government provides the federal government with the powers to maintain marine hospitals and quarantine centers (Brown, 1980). The division of roles between the federal and provincial governments have ensured quality services across all healthcare organizations (Brown, 1980). The constitutional provisions have also reduced the chances of conflicts of interests between the federal and provincial gov...