What Should Be Done About Medicare

In this report, Mr. Kent offers a comprehensive set of measures to rebuild medicare as a firm partnership between the federal and provincial governments. First and foremost, the federal government must restore and stabilize its financial contribution to medicare. To reach the proposed initial target of paying for 20 percent of provincial medicare costs, Ottawa should inject another $2.5 billion over and above the current $9.5 billion attributable to the health component of the Canada Health and Social Transfer. The federal government gradually should augment its funding to reach a maximum 25 percent of provincial medicare expenditures (a forecast $20 billion) by 2005-6. Increased federal funding would depend upon each province’s performance in reaching agreed upon improvements to its medicare system. Ottawa and the provinces together must discuss how to expand the range of insured health services ‘that would make health care according to need a full reality for Canadians.’ Such services could include pharmacare, home care, dentistry, eye care, environmental protections and community services of many kinds. The report also proposes the creation of a federal-provincial Canada Health Agency. Its first task would be to create and operate a nation-wide health information system that can analyze the costs and benefits of all health care treatments. The proposed Canada Health Agency would provide regular consultation on health policies; collaborate in defining the content of agreed medicare programs; and monitor and report publicly on the operation of medicare.

ISBN – 1-894598-10-5