Canada has a publicly funded health care system known as Medicare that provides Canadian citizens and permanent residents with access to medically necessary hospital and healthcare services. This system is financed by taxation and offers several advantages:
Universal coverage: All Canadian citizens and permanent residents have access to basic health services, regardless of their income, employment or pre-existing conditions. This ensures equal access to health care.
No Point-of-Care Medical Billing: Under the Canadian system, patients are generally not billed for medically necessary services provided by doctors and hospitals. The government pays health care providers directly.
Preventive care: Emphasis on preventive care helps detect health problems early and manage chronic conditions, potentially reducing long-term health care costs.
Reduced Financial Burden: No direct medical bills help prevent individuals and families from incurring catastrophic health care costs that can be financially crippling.
Equity of Access: Medicare strives to ensure equal access to health care for all Canadians by reducing disparities in care between different income groups.
Patient Choice: Despite current regulations, patients generally have flexibility in choosing their primary care providers and specialists.
Basic Services Covered: Medicare covers essential medical services such as hospital stays, surgeries, diagnostic tests, and doctor’s consultations.
Portable coverage: Medicare coverage extends to Canadian provinces and territories. Individuals can access health care wherever they are in the country.
Public administration: The health care system is public administration, which means that health care facilities and providers are primarily funded and regulated by government entities.
Focus on health outcomes: The Canadian system’s emphasis on health outcomes rather than financial considerations can help the population focus on staying healthy and accessing health care when needed.
However, it is important to note that the Canadian health care system also has its own challenges and limitations. Long wait times for some elective procedures, limited access to specialists in some regions and potential gaps in coverage for services such as prescription drugs and dental care are some of the challenges Canadians may face.
Many Canadians also choose supplemental private health insurance to cover services outside of the public system, such as prescription drugs, dental care and vision care. These private insurance plans may offer additional benefits and flexibility, but they also come with costs.
As with any healthcare system, there are pros and cons to consider. Although Medicare provides universal access to medically necessary services, individual experiences may vary, and it is important to understand the limitations and opportunities of the Canadian health care landscape.
Government-owned insurance companies
- Saskatchewan Government Insurance
- Coachman Insurance Company
- Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
- Manitoba Public Insurance
- Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec
Bank-affiliated carriers
- BMO Life
- CIBC InsuranceScotia Life
- TD Insurance
- RBC Insurance
- National Bank Insurance
Current insurance carriers
- Assurant Canada
- Aviva CanadaCanadian Association of Blue Cross Plans
- Alberta Blue CrossQuebec Blue Cross
- Manitoba Blue CrossSaskatchewan Blue Cross
- Canadian PremierSovereign General Insurance Company
- Desjardins InsuranceThe Personal
- Economical InsuranceCanada Protection Plan
- Empire LifeFederated Insurance Company of Canada
- Gore Mutual Insurance CompanyCanada Life
- Green Shield CanadaIntact Financial ONTARIO
- Knights of ColumbusMunich Re Canada
- Primerica Canada — Canadian subsidiary of Primerica (US).Swiss Re
- Teachers LifeWawanesa Life
- Wilton Re
- Allstate Canada — Canadian subsidiary of Allstate (US).
- Assumption Life
- Beneva (created through merger of La Capitale and SSQ Insurance)
- CAA Insurance Company
- Canassurance Hospital Service Association
- Ontario Blue Cross
- Medavie Blue Cross
- Pacific Blue Cross
- Combined Insurance Canada — Canadian subsidiary of Combined Insurance (US).[5]
- The Co-operators Group
- Desjardins Financial Security
- FaithLife Financial
- Foresters Financial
- Equitable Life of Canada
- FaithLife Financial
- Great American Insurance Company
- Great-West Lifeco, Inc. — insurance-centered financial holding company
- Humania
- IA Financial Group
- Manulife
- John Hancock Financial (based in the US)
- Reliable Life
- Sun Life Financial
- UV Insurance (formerly the Union Life Mutual Assurance Company, or UL Mutual)
- Wawanesa Insurance
- ivari
Read:- list of insurance companies in usa
