Consumer-sponsored health centers and health reforms in Canada

The community health center movement, begun in Saskatchewan, is central to successsfully reforming the Canadian health care system. The arguments of 30 years ago are relevant today. Canadian Medicare is at the crossroads. The evidence shows that the provision of primary health care through community health centers is cost effective and that the quality of care is at least as high in these settings as in traditional fee-for-service settings. Each province must encourage the development of a network of community health centers capable of providing services to every resident who wishes to receive all of his or her primary care "under one roof."