Reply #33: Yes, we built it incrementally as the above poster stated... [View All]

[Spazito]

It started in a province, Saskatchewan, in 1947 with hospital insurance, NOT universal healthcare.

10 YEARS LATER, 1957, the federal government addopted hospital insurance, NOT universal healthcare, nation-wide. Doctors, insurance companies and big business fought against it but lost. The CMA (Canadian Medical Association) fought AGAINST ANY publicly funded healthcare.

1962 - Saskatchewan, 15 years AFTER implementing hospital insurance, brought in the first national healthcare system.

1966 - 4 years AFTER Saskatchewan moved, the federal government introduced a national Medicare program with the federal government paying 50% of provincial health costs

13 years later, the government backed off the 50-50 cost sharing and went to block funding, reducing their share.

1978 Doctors begin 'extra-billing' to raise their income.

1984 the government enacts the Canada Health Act, banning extra-billing.


So, if you don't think taking 37 years to go from no coverage to what we have today isn't to be considered incremental, well, I don't know what to say.

http://www.healthcoalition.ca/History.pdf