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OTTAWA
Headnote
Beware the backlash from blade's cutting edge in delivering health care
EDGAR ALLAN POE'S classic The Pit and the Pendulum is a tale fraught with horror and symbolism as the blade drops incrementally toward the bound captive's chest.
This is the current fate of the Canada Health Act (CHA), passed by Parliament in 1984-unanimously, it should be noted. Among other things, the CHA says the main goal of health care policy is "to protect, promote and restore the physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers."
It also sets out conditions for federal funding eligibility, such...