title: Private health insurance: an international overview and considerations for Canada.
abstract: Since the passage of the Canada Health Act in 1984 and its prohibition of extra-billing, there has been an extremely limited role for private health insurance in Canada as a mechanism to pay for medically necessary physician or hospital services. In the aftermath of the landmark Supreme Court decision Chaoulli v. Québec, this may change.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Canada. irfan.dhalla@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Irfan
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Dhalla
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D019049:Developed Countries; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D015273:Insurance Selection Bias; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D038622:Internationality; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D028701:Patient Rights / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011792:Quebec; D012935:Social Justice / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014850:Waiting Lists