| Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act | |
|---|---|
| Parliament of Canada | |
| |
| Enacted by | Parliament of Canada |
| Assented to | May 1, 1957 |
| Commenced | July 1, 1958 |
| Legislative history | |
| Bill title | Bill 320 |
| Introduced by | Paul Martin Sr., Minister of National Health and Welfare |
| Status: Repealed | |
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| Healthcare in Canada |
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The Hospital Insurance and Diagnostic Services Act (French: Loi sur l’assurance-hospitalisation et les services diagnostiques,[1] HIDS) is a statute passed by the Parliament of Canada in 1957 that reimbursed one-half of provincial and territorial costs for hospital and diagnostic services administered under provincial and territorial health insurance programs.[2][3] Originally implemented on July 1, 1958, with five participating provinces, by January 1, 1961, all ten provinces were enlisted.[3] The federal funding was coupled with terms and conditions borrowed from the Saskatchewan Hospital Services Plan, introduced in 1947 as the first universal hospital insurance program in North America. In order to receive funding, services had to be universal, comprehensive, accessible and portable. This stipulation was dropped in 1977 with the Established Programs Financing Act and then reinstated in 1984 in the Canada Health Act. Widely acknowledged as the foundation for future developments in the Canadian health care system, the HIDS Act was a landmark example of federal-provincial cooperation in post-war Canada.[4]
- ^ "Le système des soins de santé du Canada". www.canada.ca. Santé Canada. 27 May 2011.
- ^ Health Canada (2012). Canada's Health Care System.
- ^ a b Archives Canada. Royal Commission on Health Services fonds.
- ^ Taylor, Malcolm G. (1978). Health Insurance and Canadian Public Policy, McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal.