Editing Medicare (Canada) (section)

==Opinions and activism on Canadian health care==
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Polling data in the last few years have consistently cited Canadian Health Care as among the most important political issues in the minds of Canadian voters. Along with [[peacekeeping]], Canadian Health Care was found, based on a [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]] poll, to be among the foremost defining characteristics of Canada.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/maple-leaf-best-defines-canada-survey-finds-1.722322|title=Maple leaf best defines Canada, survey finds}}</ref>

It has increasingly become a source of controversy in Canadian politics. As a recent report from the Health Council of Canada has noted
"Herein lies one of the puzzles of Canadian health care: Canadians increasingly view the health care system as unsustainable and under threat, even as their own experiences with the system are mostly positive."<ref>[http://www.healthcouncilcanada.ca/docs/rpts/2007/Public%20Perceptions%20-%20English%20Final_Feb-07.pdf Stuart N. Soroka. Canadian Perceptions of the Health Care System. 2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706182550/http://www.healthcouncilcanada.ca/docs/rpts/2007/Public%20Perceptions%20-%20English%20Final_Feb-07.pdf |date=July 6, 2011 }}. {{ISBN|0-9739726-8-8}}</ref>

As analysts have noted, the root of the concern may be traced to successful cost control efforts in the mid-1990s, where public health expenditure per capita, in inflation-adjusted dollars, actually fell.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080214090847/http://secure.cihi.ca/cihiweb/dispPage.jsp?cw_page=PG_876_E&cw_topic=876&cw_rel=AR_31_E CIHI National Health Expenditures in Canada 1975–2007]</ref> These efforts arose from efforts by the federal government to deal with its deficit through various austerity measures, which led to cuts in their transfers to the provinces, and in turn to squeezing hospital budgets and physician reimbursements. The number of physicians being trained was reduced. The result was seen in increased wait times, particularly for elective procedures. More recently, government has been reinvesting in health care, but public confidence has been slow to recover.

A number of studies have compared Canada with other countries, and concluded that each system has its own strengths and weaknesses.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=568237 |title=Schoen et al., Toward Higher-Performance Health Systems: Adults' Health Care Experiences in Seven Countries, 2007 |publisher=Commonwealthfund.org |date=November 1, 2007 |access-date=June 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081211172710/http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/publications_show.htm?doc_id=568237 |archive-date=December 11, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/33/38979719.pdf |title=OECD Health Data 2007. How Does Canada Compare? |access-date=June 6, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616225257/http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/46/33/38979719.pdf |archive-date=June 16, 2012 }}</ref> The World Health Organization, ranked Canada in 2000 as 30th worldwide in performance. However, the basis for these rankings has been highly contentious. As Deber noted, "The measure of "overall health system performance" derives from adjusting "goal attainment" for educational attainment. Although goal attainment is in theory based on five measures (level and distribution of health, level and distribution of "responsiveness" and "fairness of financial contribution"), the actual values assigned to most countries, including Canada, were never directly measured. The scores do not incorporate any information about the actual workings of the system, other than as reflected in life expectancy. The primary reason for Canada's relatively low standing rests on the relatively high educational level of its population, particularly as compared to France, rather than on any features of its health system."<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://longwoods.com/product.php?productid=17238&cat=367&page=1 |title=R. Deber. Why Did the World Health Organization Rate Canada's Health System as 30th? Some Thoughts on League Tables. Longwoods Review 2(1) 2004 |journal=Healthcare Quarterly |publisher=Longwoods.com |date=June 20, 2003 |volume=7 |issue=2 |access-date=June 6, 2011|last1=Deber |first1=Raisa }}</ref> Other countries had similar complaints, and the WHO has not repeated this ranking.

There has been considerable opposition to ongoing changes to the Canadian health system. This opposition has been largely spearheaded by the New Democratic Party.  There is also activism by a volunteer community, particularly the Canadian Health Coalition (*[www.healthcoalition.ca]) and its provincial affiliates, as well as other organizations such as the Council for Canadians ([https://canadians.org]).