Making Medicare

This collection fills a serious gap in the existing literature by providing a comprehensive policy history of Medicare in Canada.

The Canadian health care system is so indisputably tied to our national identity that its founder, Tommy Douglas, was voted the greatest Canadian of all time in a CBC television contest. However, very little has been written to date on how Medicare as we know it was developed and implemented. This collection fills a serious gap in the existing literature by providing a comprehensive policy history of Medicare in Canada. Making Medicare features explorations of the experiments that predated the federal government’s decision to implement the Saskatchewan health care model, from Newfoundland’s cottage hospital system to Bennettcare in British Columbia. It also includes essays by key individuals (including health practitioners and two premiers) who played a role in the implementation of Medicare and the landmark Royal Commission on Health Services. Along with political scientists, policy specialists, medical historians, and health practitioners, this collection will appeal to anyone interested in the history and legacy of one of Canada’s most visible and centrally important institutions.

This book provides a comprehensive and approachable overview of Medicare under the Affordable Care Act. The author illustrates how the ACA addresses the long-term fiscal and demographic challenges facing Medicare, as well as the potential for Medicare to become a single-payer system.

Medicare is arguably Canada’s most valued social program. As federally-supported medicare enters its second half-century, Medicare’s Histories brings together leading social and health historians to reflect on the origins and evolution of medicare and the missed opportunities characterizing its past and present. Embedding medicare in the diverse constituencies that have given it existence and meaning, contributors inquire into the strengths and weaknesses of publicly insured health care and critically examine medicare’s unfinished role in achieving greater health equity for all people in Canada regardless of race, status, gender, class, age, and ability. Fundamental to the stories told in Medicare’s Histories is the essential role played by communities ¬– of activists, critics, health professionals, First Nations, patients, families, and survivors – in driving demands for health reform, in identifying particular omissions and inequities exacerbated or even created by medicare, and in responding to the realities of medicare for those who work in and rely on it. Contributors to this volume show how medicare has been shaped by politics (in the broadest sense of that word), identities, professional organizations, and social movements in Canada and abroad. As COVID lays bare social inequities and the inadequacies of health care delivery and public health, this book shows what was excluded and what was – and is – possible in health care.

Medicine.

Dr. Katy's Votava's book, Making the Most of Medicare: A Guide for Baby Boomers, takes the confusion out of making Medicare choices. It is full of tips and insider information in an easy to read workbook format. Whether you are facing Medicare choices or are helping a loved one, Dr. Katy reveals how some savvy planning before you enroll in Medicare can have a significant impact on getting needed care without over spending. Even if you are already in Medicare things change rapidly and adjusting plans can bring significant cost savings and decreased hassles. This book, now in its 4th edition, helps you: Avoid paying lifelong Medicare penalties and expensive coverage gaps. Choose Medicare plans that cover specific health care needs at the best possible price and the least aggravation. Limit stress and unnecessary expenses by selecting plans that include your doctors, health services, and medications. Have access to the best medical care for you or a loved one. Save money on prescription drugs. Get your copy today and start saving your time and money!