Medical Necessity

​Back to Basics:  understanding why health care costs in Canada just continue to spiral

Two weeks ago, Prof. Herb Emery published a commentary calling for the return to the original concept of Medical Necessity in funding and managing health care.  This would open up the opportunity for enterprising professionals to offer services that are desired and needed by the public but outside the bounds of the restrictions of the Canada Health Act. There are many health services not covered by the government plan including audiology, phlebotomy, physiotherapy, and optometry, readily available in the private market.
This discussion typically brings out strong positions in opposition that suggest there is no room for a dual stream  Health System and that all must be treated equally in the System. When the regulations and legislation were being drafted in the 1950’s, the planners and legislators had no concept of what was to happen to the health system.  It seemed simple to devise a system that would pay for services required by the population. The range of services was pretty limited; technology was pretty basic. The intent was that no family should suffer a financial hardship resulting from a “major “illness or trauma. Read more here