The federal government has a role in upholding national principles under the Canada Health Act such as providing funding to certain groups of people: "First Nations people living on reserves; Inuit; serving members of the Canadian Armed Forces; eligible veterans; inmates in federal penitentiaries; and some groups of refugee claimant" (Government of Canada, 2019). Provincial and territorial governments offer supplementary funding for certain groups such as seniors and low income residents (Government of Canada, 2019). In British Columbia, eligible residents can apply for provincial health insurance, called Medical Services Plan (MSP). MSP is designed to provide medically necessary services at no cost to residents (Ministry of Health 2022). As medically necessary services are not defined in the Canada Health Act, it is up to the provincial and territorial governments to decide which services are considered to be medically necessary (Government of Canada 2019). British Columbia has several branches of ministries related to health, and one of note is the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
In my role in the health care system as a front line dietitian, there are certain nutrition supplement programs available that I can apply for that provide coverage for oral nutrition supplements for people at risk of malnutrition due to cancer. Some of these are provincially funded such as by the First Nations Health Authority (n.d.) or the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (2023). Some are federally funded such as the Veterans Affairs of Canada (2021). An area that is lacking is funding for senior patients who are on a pension plan but do not qualify as low income in British Columbia. I often in my line of work that there are several patients who are over the age of 65 and do not qualify for income assistance, yet are expected to pay for nutrition supplements out of pocket to maintain their nutrition status in order to complete cancer treatments. It is an area I resonate with deeply as I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to find a solution for this population, but it always seems to be short term (providing samples of nutrition supplements, or providing gift cards for local grocery stores). Although the Canadian health care system ensures to cover medical necessities and provide additional support for certain vulnerable populations, there are certainly still those who fall through the cracks.
References:
First Nations Health Authority. (n.d.). https://www.fnha.ca/
Government of Canada. (2019, September 17). Canada’s Health Care System. Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/health-care-system/reports-publications/health-care-system/canada.html
Ministry of Health (2022, September 22). Medical services plan. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp
Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. (2023, February 28). Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/organizational-structure/ministries-organizations/ministries/social-development-poverty-reduction
Veterans Affairs Canada. (2021). Veterans Independence Program. https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/housing-and-home-life/help-at-home/veterans-independence-program
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