Blurring of the Public/Private Divide: The Canadian Chapter

Authors: Flood, Colleen M.¹; Thomas, Bryan²

Source: European Journal of Health Law, Volume 17, Number 3, 2010 , pp. 257-278(22)

Publisher: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, an imprint of Brill

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Abstract:

Blurring of public/private divide is occurring in different ways around the world, with differential effects in terms of access and equity. In Canada, one pathway towards privatization has received particular attention: duplicative private insurance, allowing those with the financial means to bypass queues in the public system. We assess recent legal and policy developments on this front, but also describe other trends towards the blurring of public and private in Canada: the reliance on mandated private insurance for pharmaceutical coverage; provincial governments' reliance on public-private partnerships to finance hospitals; and the incorporation of for-profit clinics within the public health care system.

Keywords: Canada; public/private; health systems finance; Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; for-profit clinics

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157180910X504081

Affiliations: 1: Canada Research Chair in Health Law & Policy, Faculty of Law, University of Toronto Toronto Canada CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research 2: Faculty of Law, University of Toronto Toronto Canada

Publication date: 2010-06-01