The foundations of National public hospital insurance.

ABSTRACT

This paper provides the background to provincial and federal government acceptance of a public hospital insurance plan. I describe the development of two-tiered hospitals to the 1920s and the failure of private hospital financing as the Depression unfolded. I then discuss developments in Saskatchewan climaxing in the first provincial public hospital insurance plan and the continuing fiscal stresses facing hospitals in provinces without public plans. Finally, I outline the main reasons why all the provinces signed onto a national public hospital insurance plan.