What Are the Benefits of Provincial Health Care?

Provincial health care refers to a health insurance system administered by provincial government authorities. In this system, individuals don't have to depend on private insurance or their own resources to obtain health care. However, it does not usually cover all medical expenses. Although it's not without its flaws, provincial health care has several benefits.

Access to Health Care for All

• Provincial health care pools people's resources to provide equal opportunity to get health care for everyone. For example, in Canada people make regular prepayments toward health care insurance so they don't have to pay for essential medical services. As such, even those who lack money can afford quality health care during emergencies. Because the health care providers bill the provincial authorities directly, they don't discriminate against their patients based on age, health status or financial circumstances.

Consistent Delivery of Health Care Services

• Because government health care authorities manage medical services, they can create and enforce health care standards to ensure a consistently high quality of service throughout the country. For example, the Canadian health care authority transfers funds to the provincial authorities, but attaches conditions. If the provinces don't meet these requirements, the national authority may refuse to extend the funds. This ensures that people can get reliable health care in every province in the country.

Access to Health Care While Traveling

• Although each province manages its own health care system, it does not mean that the province caters only to its own residents. The national health care authority can arrange the system so that individuals traveling out of their home provinces can access health care in other provinces. This means that people don't lose coverage just by traveling outside the provincial borders. They can go to any health care provider in the country and get the same health care coverage.

Employment Flexibility

• With provincial health care, individuals don't need to rely on insurance provided by their employers. This allows self-employed and unemployed individuals to obtain health care economically. People with good insurance plans from their workplaces don't have to worry about their medical expenses if they lose their jobs or decide to quit their jobs to pursue other interests. This also reduces employment discrimination against older people because employers don't have to bear the health care insurance burden of their employees.