Medicare: Facts, Myths, Problems & Promise

Most health care professionals are committed to the principles of medicare, and so are most other Canadians. Yet everyone recognizes that the health care system has serious problems, and often does not provide the level of care the public expects. Getting a realistic picture of what is good and bad about the system, and how it can be fixed while staying true to the fundamental principles of publicly-funded health care is the focus of this book. Editors Bruce Campbell and Greg Marchildon have gathered 34 contributors who offer a wide-ranging, authoritative portrait of medicare in Canada today. Experts from Canada and around the world provide unbiased data on costs, quality of care, wait times, and the overall health of the population. There are international comparisons which show how Canada's system ranks with the rest of the world. Front-line health care practitioners describe the key successes and failures of the Canadian system today. Policy makers discuss the potential impact of attacks on the system aimed at opening up health care to profit-oriented corporations, and point to alternatives for better care from inside the public system. Visionaries set out the potential of the system to move from a disease orientation to a focus on ensuring a healthy population of children and adults. For anyone involved in health care - and for every citizen who cares about the future of this social program - this book offers a unique source of reliable, independent information and analysis from experts who share a basic commitment to the values of medicare. At a time when ideologues and advocates of privatization capture much of the attention of the media and politicians, this collection is an invaluable source of information and ideas.