Open AccessThe Courts and Two-Tier Medicare
Author(s) -
Colleen M. Flood,
Bryan Thomas,
Kelli White
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
healthcare policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.391
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1715-6580
pISSN - 1715-6572
DOI - 10.12927/hcpol.2020.26229
Subject(s) - charter , legislature , context (archaeology) , health care , law , political science , law and economics , public administration , sociology , history , archaeology
Canada's single-payer healthcare system is at a critical crossroads. A legal challenge underway in British Columbia alleges that legislative restrictions on privately financed care infringe the right to "life, liberty and security" guaranteed under Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The greatest challenge for the court will be comparing healthcare systems across disparate jurisdictions, with the future of single-tier healthcare system hanging in the balance. If successful, the case may require a major overhaul of Canada's single-payer system - a perilous task politically, if history is any guide, and this may be the system's undoing.