Still others contend that the benefits of public coverage are so great that the publicly financed portion of the system should be expanded to areas such as pharmaceuticals or dental care. There are also many additional services covered by provincial plans. Third, it is not always possible to predict whether certain expenditures or courses of action will achieve their objectives. Health care almost always operates in a climate of uncertainty, which tends to widen the range of structural and organizational responses to problems. Nevertheless, it is now time to examine the private-public array in all of its dimensions, beginning from the perspective of values and principles.
Piecemeal change can unintentionally erode the principles of a system.
Particularly in an era of rapid change, it is important to ensure that the revisions are coherent and consistent with well-articulated goals. Beyond a core set of services, different provincial plans insure different things.