How Health Care in Canada Works

Group health benefits

Unlike in the United States, health insurance in Canada is provided through a publicly funded health care system. This system was set up by the Canada Health Act in 1984. The Canada Health Act specifies the conditions and criteria with which the provincial and territorial health insurance programs must conform in order to receive federal transfer payments. Most of the money for the health care system in Canada comes from income taxes, although some provinces may change additional fees to raise money.

As a result, health care in Canada is mostly free and has most services provided by private entities. For example, when you go to a doctor in Canada, the doctor will treat you and then bill the Canada government for reimbursement. The patient rarely receives a bill. This administrative simplicity, in addition to the discouragement of competitive practices like advertising, help to keep health care costs in Canada fairly low. Practices like regular checkups and preventative medicine are also encouraged which further keep costs low.

Though the government will pay for most procedures and medical visits, there are somethings that it will not cover. These include prescription drugs, vision, and dental. As a result, many employers in Canada offer their employees additional health benefits in the form of employee benefits insurance. While many Canadians depend on their employee benefits insurance, as many as 72% of small business owners are concerned about the rising costs of such employee benefits packages. If you are a Canadian business owner who wants to learn more about how you can save on your employee’s health care costs, then visit the internet. Check out this website for more.

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