Challenges navigating publicly funded home care in Ontario, Canada: Perspectives from unpaid caregivers of persons living with dementia.

In Canada, persons living with dementia represent a sizable number of home care recipients. Although home care is not wholly publicly funded under provincial health insurance plans, some provinces like Ontario subsidize a maximum number of hours of home care provided by a personal support worker (PSW) on the basis of need. The public subsidization of home care may be interpreted as a mechanism of financial risk protection, enabling unpaid caregivers to maintain employment, income levels, and personal health. However, deficits in the availability of home care call into question how the organization of home care may be contributing to financial risk among unpaid caregivers. Inspired by qualitative phenomenology, this study describes the financial risks experienced by unpaid caregivers of persons living with dementia navigating publicly funded homecare in Ontario. Based on 24 interviews conducted between August-December, 2020, we found financial risk emerges across three dimensions: 1) receiving information about publicly funded home care that anticipates future care needs; 2) receiving flexible hours of support from a PSW; and 3) maintaining consistent access to quality support. Financial risks included turning to privately funded home care options, or taking time off work to provide care. Findings may inform local and international home care reforms aiming to protect caregivers from financial risk.

The Financial Risks of Unpaid Caregiving During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From a Self-reported Survey in a Canadian Jurisdiction.

As health service delivery shifts from institutions to the home, greater care responsibilities are being imposed on unpaid caregivers. However, gaps remain concerning how these responsibilities are contributing to caregivers' financial risk. This study describes results from an online survey conducted in late-2020 in Ontario, Canada, about the financial risks of unpaid, homebased caregiving throughout the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among 190 caregivers, salient findings include difficulties paying for care expenses after the pandemic was declared than before (P = .002); more caregivers retiring or becoming unemployed during the pandemic than before (P = .013); and a significant relationship between paying out-of-pocket for a home care worker and experiencing a decrease in the availability of such support during the pandemic (P = .029). Overall, the financial stressors of caregiving during the pandemic contributed negatively to caregivers' mental health, with 64.2% noting could be partly offset by greater government and employment-based assistance in managing care expenses and productivity losses. Findings from this study will better inform policies that aim to protect unpaid caregivers from financial risk in pandemic recovery efforts and beyond. Results may also be useful in other welfare states where unpaid caregivers provide the majority of home care services.

Learning from the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: Comparing policy responses in Uruguay with 10 other Latin American and Caribbean countries.

A range of public health and social measures have been employed in response to the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Yet, pandemic responses have varied across the region, particularly during the first 6 months of the pandemic, with Uruguay effectively limiting transmission during this crucial phase. This review describes features of pandemic responses which may have contributed to Uruguay's early success relative to 10 other LAC countries - Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago. Uruguay differentiated its early response efforts from reviewed countries by foregoing strict border closures and restrictions on movement, and rapidly implementing a suite of economic and social measures. Our findings describe the importance of supporting adherence to public health interventions by ensuring that effective social and economic safety net measures are in place to permit compliance with public health measures.

What Can Canada Learn From Accountable Care Organizations: A Comparative Policy Analysis.

Introduction: Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), implemented in the United States (US), aim to reduce costs and integrate care by aligning incentives among providers and payers. Canadian governments are interested adopting such models to integrate care, though comparative studies assessing the applicability and transferability of ACOs in Canada are lacking. In this comparative study, we performed a narrative literature review to examine how Canadian health systems could support ACO models. Methods: We reviewed empirical studies (published 2011-2020) that evaluated ACO impacts in the US. Thematic analysis and critical appraisal were performed to identify factors associated with positive ACO impacts. These factors were compared with the Canadian context to assess the applicability and transferability of ACO models within Canada. Findings: Physician-led models, global budgets and financial incentives, and focus on collaborative care may optimize ACO impacts. While reforms towards alternative payments and team-based care are not unprecedented in Canada, significant further reforms to physician remuneration, intersectoral collaboration, and accountability for performance are required to support ACO-like models. Conclusion: This comparative study uncovered several insights on the applicability and transferability of ACOs to the Canadian context. Further comparative research outside the US is needed to infer the essential components of successful ACO models.

The federal government and Canada's COVID-19 responses: from 'we're ready, we're prepared' to 'fires are burning'.

Canada's experience with the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been characterized by considerable regional variation, as would be expected in a highly decentralized federation. Yet, the country has been beset by challenges, similar to many of those documented in the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak of 2003. Despite a high degree of pandemic preparedness, the relative success with flattening the curve during the first wave of the pandemic was not matched in much of Canada during the second wave. This paper critically reviews Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the role of the federal government in this public health emergency, considering areas within its jurisdiction (international borders), areas where an increased federal role may be warranted (long-term care), as well as its technical role in terms of generating evidence and supporting public health surveillance, and its convening role to support collaboration across the country. This accounting of the first 12 months of the pandemic highlights opportunities for a strengthened federal role in the short term, and some important lessons to be applied in preparing for future pandemics.

Comparison of outpatient coverage in Canada: Assistive and medical devices.

Outpatient technologies are important for maintaining health and overall quality of life, yet the degree of access and coverage of these technologies remains variable within and across jurisdictions. In Canada, assistive technologies are not included in universal health coverage, and are not subject to the Canada Health Act's criteria and conditions that provinces and territories must fulfill to receive the full federal cash contribution under the Canada Health Transfer. As such, the thirteen Canadian provincial and territorial governments make separate decisions on programs and coverage. Drawing on the WHO Universal Coverage Cube we compare who gets access, the types of technologies that can be accessed, and the level of coverage (total costs covered) in Canada. Overall, each Canadian jurisdiction had at least one publicly supported program. All relied on a 'health assessment' of an individual's need to determine eligibility. Income and eligibility for social assistance was used as eligibility criteria in 6 of the 13 jurisdictions. Mobility aids as well as audio, visual, and communication aids were included in all jurisdictions. While some programs offered full financial support for some technologies, forms of cost sharing were common. The results are discussed in the context of international experiences, demographic changes, and health system trends to highlight areas for policy learning.

Achieving higher performing primary care through patient registration: A review of twelve high-income countries.

BACKGROUND: Patient registration with a primary care providers supports continuity in the patient-provider relationship. This paper develops a framework for analysing the characteristics of patient registration across countries; applies this framework to a selection of countries; and identifies challenges and ongoing reform efforts. METHODS: 12 jurisdictions (Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Ontario [Canada], Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom) were selected for analysis. Information was collected by national researchers who reviewed relevant literature and policy documents to report on the establishment and evolution of patient registration, the requirements and benefits for patients, providers and payers, and its connection to primary care reforms. RESULTS: Patient registration emerged as part of major macro-level health reforms linked to the introduction of universal health coverage. Recent reforms introduced registration with the aim of improving quality through better coordination and efficiency through reductions in unnecessary referrals. Patient registration is mandatory only in three countries. Several countries achieve high levels of registration by using strong incentives for patients and physicians (capitation payments). CONCLUSION: Patient registration means different things in different countries and policy-makers and researchers need to take into consideration: the history and characteristics of the registration system; the use of incentives for patients and providers; and the potential for more explicit use of patient-provider agreements as a policy to achieve more timely, appropriate, continuous and integrated care.

Development of a web-based survey on the financial risks of unpaid caregiving: approach and lessons learned from a Canadian perspective.

Little is known about the financial risks of unpaid caregiving. This is, in part, due to challenges in identifying people who are caregivers and limitations in capturing all aspects of spending related to caregiving in existing approaches to public data collection. To fill these gaps, we developed a composite survey informed by validated instruments that assesses the types and magnitude of out-of-pocket expenditures caregivers incur in the provision of homebased care for someone living with a long-term health condition, and their impact across various domains of financial risk. This paper discusses the development of this survey currently in circulation in a Canadian province, and reflects on considerations in the engagement of unpaid caregivers in participatory research. Given its replicability and adaptability, this survey may inform future research in other developed or high-income settings and guide policy attention toward understanding how to protect unpaid caregivers from the financial risks of caring.

Expanding health care coverage in Canada: a dramatic shift in the debate.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has shifted the health policy debate in Canada. While the pre-pandemic focus of policy experts and government reports was on the question of whether to add outpatient pharmaceuticals to universal health coverage, the clustering of pandemic deaths in long-term care facilities has spurred calls for federal standards in long-term care (LTC) and its possible inclusion in universal health coverage. This has led to the probability that the federal government will attempt to expand medicare as Canadians have known it for the first time in over a half century. However, these efforts are likely to fail if the federal government relies on the shared-cost federalism that marked the earlier introduction of medicare. Two alternative pathways are suggested, one for LTC and one for pharmaceuticals, that are more likely to succeed given the state of the Canadian federation in the early 21st century.

The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination: what can Canada learn from Israel?

This commentary compares Israel's COVID-10 vaccination response to the much slower and less successful vaccination campaign in Canada. Although Canada did start with some structural disadvantages relative to Israel including less centralized and coherent emergency planning and a more complex demographic geography, there are, nonetheless, some important policy lessons Canada can draw from Israel. These include a more strategic use of national leadership in the vaccination campaign and the greater use of primary care resources and providers.

Social Democratic Solidarity and the Welfare State: Health Care and Single-Tier Universality in Sweden and Canada.

Although it is not generally done, it is useful to compare the history of the evolution of universal health coverage (UHC) in Canada and Sweden. The majority of citizens in both countries have shared, and continue to share, a commitment to a strong form of single-tier universality in the design of their respective UHC systems. In the postwar era, they also share a remarkably similar timeline in the emergence and entrenchment of single-tier UHC, despite the political and social differences between the two countries. At the same time, UHC was initially designed, implemented, and managed by social democratic governments that held power for long periods of time, creating a path dependency for single-tier Medicare that was difficult for future governments of different ideological persuasions to alter.

Mapping variability in allocation of Long-Term Care funds across payer agencies in OECD countries.

INTRODUCTION: Long-term care (LTC) is organized in a fragmented manner. Payer agencies (PA) receive LTC funds from the agency collecting funds, and commission services. Yet, distributional equity (DE) across PAs, a precondition to geographical equity of access to LTC, has received limited attention. We conceptualize that LTC systems promote DE when they are designed to set eligibility criteria nationally (vs. locally); and to distribute funds among PAs based on needs-formula (vs. past-budgets or government decisions). OBJECTIVES: This cross-country study highlights to what extent different LTC systems are designed to promote DE across PAs, and the parameters used in allocation formulae. METHODS: Qualitative data were collected through a questionnaire filled by experts from 17 OECD countries. RESULTS: 11 out of 25 LTC systems analyzed, fully meet DE as we defined. 5 systems which give high autonomy to PAs have designs with low levels of DE; while nine systems partially promote DE. Allocation formulae vary in their complexity as some systems use simple demographic parameters while others apply socio-economic status, disability, and LTC cost variations. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: A minority of LTC systems fully meet DE, which is only one of the criteria in allocation of LTC resources. Some systems prefer local priority-setting and governance over DE. Countries that value DE should harmonize the eligibility criteria at the national level and allocate funds according to needs across regions.

Canada: Health System Review.

This analysis of the Canadian health system reviews recent developments in organization and governance, health financing, health care provision, health reforms and health system performance. Life expectancy is high, but it plateaued between 2016 and 2017 due to the opioid crisis. Socioeconomic inequalities in health are significant, and the large and persistent gaps in health outcomes between Indigenous peoples and the rest of Canadians represent a major challenge facing the health system, and society more generally. Canada is a federation: the provinces and territories administer health coverage systems for their residents ( referred to as "medicare") , while the federal government sets national standards, such as through the Canada Health Act, and is responsible for health coverage for specific subpopulations. Health care is predominantly publicly financed, with approximately 70% of health expenditures financed through the general tax revenues. Yet there are major gaps in medicare, such as prescription drugs outside hospital, long-term care, mental health care, dental and vision care, which explains the significant role of employer-based private health insurance and out-of-pocket payments. The supply of physicians and nurses is uneven across the country with chronic shortages in rural and remote areas. Recent reforms include a move towards consolidating health regions into more centralized governance structures at the provincial/ territorial level, and gradually moving towards Indigenous self-governance in health care. There has also been some momentum towards introducing a national programme of prescription drug coverage ( Pharmacare) , though the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 may shift priorities towards addressing other major health system challenges such as the poor quality and regulatory oversight of the long-term care sector. Health system performance has improved in recent years as measured by in-hospital mortality rates, cancer survival and avoidable hospitalizations. Yet major challenges such as access to non-medicare services, wait times for specialist and elective surgical care, and fragmented and poorly coordinated care will continue to preoccupy governments in pursuit of improved health system performance.

The north is not all the same: comparing health system performance in 18 northern regions of Canada.

We investigated the availability of health system performance indicator data in Canada's 18 northern regions and the feasibility of using the performance framework developed by the Canadian Institute for Health Information [CIHI]. We examined the variation in 24 indicators across regions and factors that might explain such variation. The 18 regions vary in population size and various measures of socioeconomic status, health-care delivery, and health status. The worst performing health systems generally include Nunavut and the northern regions of Québec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan where indigenous people constitute the overwhelming majority of the population, ranging from 70% to 90%, and where they also fare worst in terms of adverse social determinants. All northern regions perform worse than Canada nationally in hospitalisations for ambulatory care sensitive conditions and potentially avoidable mortality. Population size, socioeconomic status, degree of urbanisation and proportion of Aboriginal people in the population are all associated with performance. The North is far from homogenous. Inter-regional variation demands further investigation. The more intermediate pathways, especially between health system inputs, outputs and outcomes, are largely unexplored. Improvement of health system performance for northern and remote regions will require the engagement of indigenous leadership, communities and patient representatives.

Managers and clinicians: Perceptions of the impact of regionalization in two regions in Canada.

The aim of this paper is to examine the approach taken to regionalization in Ontario, Canada, and its impact on health system performance as perceived by managers and clinicians. This is a qualitative study, with thematic analysis, based on interviews with 23 managers and clinicians working in primary healthcare and emergency care in two regions of Ontario. Our findings demonstrate that both sets of actors see regional structures as contributing significantly to improving their respective health system although they also identify areas that require improvement. Managers and clinicians agreed on propositions to focus on health determinants, major considerations specific to the local context (population, geography) and support for a three-level system with well-defined functions. However, they also expressed differing propositions about the political power of hospitals.

Risk Factors for Snoring in Two Canadian First Nations Communities.

Snoring may be an important predictor of sleep-disordered breathing. Factors related to snoring among First Nations people are not well understood in a population with high rates of smoking and excess body weight. An interviewer-administered survey was conducted among 874 individual participants from 406 households in 2012 and 2013 in two Canadian First Nations communities. The survey collected information on demographic variables, individual and contextual determinants of respiratory health and snoring (classified as present versus absent) and self-reported height and weight. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between snoring and potential risk factors adjusting for age and sex. Snoring was present in 46.2% men and 47.0% women. Considering body mass index, 259 people (30.3%) were overweight and 311 (36.4%) were considered obese. The combined current/former smoking rate was 90.2%. Being overweight, obesity, sinus trouble, current smoking status and former smoking were significantly associated with snoring. Exposure to home dampness and mold were suggestive of an association with snoring. To the degree that snoring may be a predictor of possible sleep-disordered breathing, these results indicate that environmental conditions such as smoking and home exposures may be important factors in the pathogenesis of these conditions.

Doctors and Canadian Medicare: Improving Accountability and Performance.

Physician compensation has been a rapidly growing segment of healthcare costs in Canada since the late 1990s. In comparative terms, Canadian physicians are now well compensated compared to physicians in other high-income countries. This has caused provincial governments to begin constraining physician remuneration. However, physician payment should be examined in a larger governance context, including the potentially changing role of physicians, as provincial governments try to improve quality, increase coordination and improve overall health system performance. Although limited progress has been made through primary care reforms in a few jurisdictions, substantive improvement has been hampered by a misalignment between the policy goals and intentions of provincial governments and existing governance and accountability structures. This creates an environment in which both administrators and physicians feel they have limited input or control, seeding an adversarial rather than a collaborative relationship. Effective reform will require addressing governance and accountability at the same time as physician payment.

Value for Money through Effective Stewardship.

The respondents all raised valuable, informative points in response to our Invited Essay. There was convergence around the need to alter governance structures at the same time as payment arrangements for physicians to achieve higher-performing health systems within Canada. At the same time, there were different views on how best to address the disconnect between levels of physician remuneration and accountability for healthcare performance and delivery. In addition to ongoing efforts to improve governance, such as the recent amendments to the government-physician agreement in Alberta, individual provincial governments can and should take the lead in initiating and evaluating further payment and governance experiments.

The comparative performance of the Canadian and Australian health systems.

Using three data sets, each providing an overview of health service delivery in high-income countries, this article provides a high-level comparative analysis of health system performance against specified key performance indicators in two jurisdictions: Canada and Australia. Several variations, nuances, and points of comparison between delivery and organization of care are discussed. The article examines three policy and structural differences that may help explain the comparatively superior performance of the Australian system on most indicators, and two key areas of improvement for the Canadian system were illuminated: a stronger central government role and a national pharmaceutical plan. It is hoped that this article will empower health leaders to take action in these areas.