Canadians Believe the all citizens have a right to high quality health care regardless of their ability to pay for it. That is why in Canada we have a largely publicly funded system. The Canadian health care system is known as "medicare and provides access to universal, comprehensive coverage for medically necessary hospital and physician services.

The Canada Health Act is the federal legislation governing Canadian health insurance, and it is guided by 5 principles.

1.  Public Administration: Health care is to be administered in a non-profit basis by a public authority.

2.  Comprehensive: All medically necessary health services are to be covered by the Health Act.

3.  Universality: All citizens and permanent residents are entitled to the insured health services.

4.  Portability: Even when moving from province to province, coverage is to continue.

5.  Accessibility: Medically necessary services are to be reasonably accessible.

For a more complete overview see Health Canada Online Overview.

Canadians are very proud of their health care system, and it is always a top priority when it comes to governmental budgetting. However the system is not perfect and we are always looking for more ways to improve it.