Through the Looking Glass: Federal and Provincial Decision-Making for Health Policy
Loading...
Authors
Redden, Candace
Date
1998
Type
working paper
Language
en
Keyword
Alternative Title
Abstract
The term "rationing" is not popular in Canada's political vernacular. Indeed, it is a pejorative term that conjures-up images of desperate yet deserving people waiting in line during wartime for scarce items such as fuel and foodstuffs. Accordingly,-rationing as an approach (taken by the state) to allocating benefits has much more political currency in the United States, where issues of distributional equity are dealt with in a relatively negative way. The "doling-out" of food stamps rather than financial assistance to people in need and the denial of public health insurance to all citizens save for low-income seniors and recipients of social assistance are prime examples of a permanent form of rationing? Therefore, that rationing is occurring in Canada's health system (despite governments' claims to the contrary) might be an alarming idea.
However, rationing, or allocative decision-making, is becoming an important issue in Canada notwithstanding the fact that it remains removed from public debate. Governments "set priorities" for health care reform without indicating that difficult allocative decisions are being made by citizens, their communities and health care service providers. The claim made by Canadian governments that retrenchment in health care is directly related to the pending fiscal crisis and is therefore a temporary measure that will be lifted in better economic times, is patently wrong. The advancement of medical technology is rapid, the population is aging, and it is unlikely that there will never be enough (public) money to meet demand. To reiterate in the words of T.H. Marshall: "the target is perpetually moving forward and the state may never be able to get within range of it."
Description
© 1998 IIGR, Queen's University
Citation
Publisher
Queen's University Institute of Intergovernmental Relations