This is a critical question in the debate.
Some people argue that governments have over- extended themselves in the health sector.
Particularly in an era of fiscal restraint, they contend, governments need to pare down public coverage significantly and allow private coverage to bridge the gap or compete directly with the public plans. Others contend that the existing public- private mix is about right, although there may be a need to make changes at the margin and bring a greater degree of discipline and coherence to the system. 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.