Previously published in Examiner
The history of providing medical care and other charities for the poor in Canada is older than Canada itself. It goes back to the colony of New France now known as Quebec, and Montreal key players such as Jeanne Mance, Margaret BOURGEOYS, and Margaret D’Youville lead the way. Hotel-Dieu is the oldest hospital in Canada and is located on St. Urbain Street in Montreal.
The need for medical care for the poor always remained a humanitarian issue and the Great Depression led the way for modern day revamping of the medical system in Canada. It was the individual provinces who began medical coverage on a wide scale platform.
Modern Day Healthcare began at the provincial level after the great depression.
By 1966, the Medical Care Act was created to enable each province to have a universal medicare program.
Apart from Universal health care there is also private health insurance
Private healthcare in Canada
There is private insurance available that will cover the extras. Many employers have an insurance plan and a few dollars a week are deducted from the employees pay check for this service. For many companies have it so that participation in the coverage is optional. This type of private insurance is relatively inexpensive and covers different things depending on the insurer and the plan. It could cover dental, vision, some kinds of cosmetic surgery not covered by the general health plan, chiropractors, massages and so on.
The general medicare plan does not have any co-pay; all is free. However, private insurance may have a co-pay. The private insurance plans cover the extras which also includes semi-private or private hospital rooms. Universal healthcare will cover a bed in a ward so that you do not ever have to pay for a hospital stay.
Some private coverage is fully covered while other plans pay up to 80 percent of the cost. For example, if you do not want to be in a ward with up to four other people you can opt for a private or semi-private room and pay nothing or only 20 percent of the cost of the room.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_care_in_Canada
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/medical-cost-disability-11/slideshow-top-11-medical-expenses?ecd=wnl_day_062511