Canadian docs call for health care insurance to cover LTC

Canada’s doctors are calling on the federal government to create newlegislation to ensure that prescription drugs, home care and long-termcare are publicly funded just like physician and hospital care.  Brian Day, president-elect of the Canadian Medical Association, saidthere is no question that many of these services are medicallynecessary and should be covered by [Canadian] medicare.  A poll commissioned by the CMA showed that many Canadians agree, andsee this expansion as a necessity. The survey found that only 55 percent of Canadians are confident they will have adequate savings toafford their own long-term care.  Those surveyed said that, should medicare be expanded, the priorityshould be funding long-term care such as nursing homes, followed byhome care, prescription drugs, dental care and vision care.  Dr. Day said the best way to modernize medicare would be to updatethe Canada Health Act, the legislation that sets out the principles ofmedicare.  But delegates to the CMA meeting called instead for parallellegislation to expand the scope of the Canada Health Act instead ofreopening the CHA itself.

Read more in the Globe and Mail, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070821.CMASIDE21/TPStory/National

Ed:  As in most nations that have universal health care access, Canada does not currently treat long term care services as health care.  Two important exceptions are Japan and Germany, both of which have adopted national long term care insurance programs to provide care for disabled seniors.