ABSTRACT
Canada's provincial programs must meet four minimum criteria in order to quality for federal block grants. First, they must enroll virtually everyone in the province, and eliminate essentially all out-of-pocket costs for covered services. Second, benefits must be portable from province to province-that is, if you are from Ontario and get sick in Quebec you must be covered. Third, the provincial program must cover all medically necessary services. The federal government has not defined this requirement further, but all of the provincial programs have enacted comprehensive acute care coverage. There is variability among the provinces in coverage of long-term care, dental services, prescription drugs, and eye glasses. Fourth, the program must be administered through a public, nonprofit agency. This requirement is based on substantial evidence that public administration is far cheaper and more efficient than private insurance administration.
