The Road Not Taken: The 1945 Health Services Planning Commission Proposals and Physician Remuneration in Saskatchewan

This article examines the development of the medical services in Saskatchewan with respect to physician remuneration from 1915 to 1949. In particular, it seeks to determine why the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation government of T. C. Douglas did not follow the recommendations of its Health Services Planning Commission for the establishment of a state salaried medical service based on the province's salaried municipal doctor system. The validity of the explanations in the established historical accounts of this policy decision is assessed based on empirical evidence. It provides a clearer understanding of how and why fee-for-service payment became entrenched in Saskatchewan Medicare.