HEALTH POLICY 3400 MIDTERM|| 196
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (GRADED
A+)
Policy: - ANSWER-A broad statement of goals and objectives and means that create
the means for activity: explicit or implicit. (written vs not)
"...decisions taken by those with responsibility
for a given policy area."
also think of them as decisions - gov decides to pass a law (that decision reflects the
policy)
o statements count, and actual decisions count as policy
o gov choosing not to respond to an issue could be their policy
mandate - ANSWER-Mandate letter - what they want you to do in their term of office
That reflects the mandate of what issues are important to the gov
o Reflected in the policy
o Publicly available
o Tracker - track policies to see what ones are completed, modified or not being
pursued
o See similar levels provincially
o Currently mandate letters are not available - Doug ford gov
Can't track accountability
Public policy: - ANSWER-Policy that has been made by the state of the government.
"...a course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a given
problem..."
"...anything a government chooses to do or not to do."
Can be both public and private (public like the gov, private like Microsoft)
Health Policy: - ANSWER-"...courses of action (and inaction) that affect the set of
institutions, organizations, services and funding arrangements of the health and health
care system."
• Policies that have to do with health
• Policies created by health agencies/organizations
• Can be both public and private (public like the gov, private like apple workers health
benefits)
,NOTE: policy - ANSWER-Policy is big picture
Subset is public policy
Subset is health policy but other bit of it can be private
HP example: Who can give blood - HIV AIDS RISK - ANSWER-• 1997 - can't give blood
if you ever had sex with a man
• 2013 - last 5 years
• 2016 - past year
• 2019 - 3 month encounter
• Mandate to address blood giving discrimination currently showing within the trend that
it is being addressed
• Good example of a health policy made by a public authority
Healthy public policy - ANSWER-Public policies outside of the health sector
"characterized by an explicit concern for
health and equity in all areas of policy and by
an accountability for health impact."
• Healthy public policy can be in transportation (align policy with health objectives)
o Doesn't seem like health policy that's why it is called healthy public policy
o Bc so many social factors surround health and overlap - can address within other
policy
o Other sectors that relate to health but originate in other fields are called Healthy public
policy (vs health policy)
• ex. Sale of alcohol at festival
o How to do that in a way that's health related
o Is it thinking about health and its impacts or not
Want it to be convenient vs is the accessibility bad for health
Public policy vs healthy public policy
Policy vs. Program - ANSWER-Policy: Broad statement of goals, objectives
and means that create the framework for
activity.
Program: Activity that organizes or delivers
a service or goods to achieve a policy's
objectives.
• Program is the activity
• Policy doesn't do anything directly just sets the agenda
• Program or multiple of them to achieve aims of broader policy
Policy: To reduce # of overdoses and
deaths caused by opioids (e.g., fentanyl)
,Program: Ontario Naloxone Program for
Pharmacies (free Naloxone kits)
Politics - ANSWER-Politics: "the art or science concerned with
guiding or influencing governmental policy"
• Politics - how do I get in power to influence what we do
o Art and science of getting to setting agenda
• ex. Doug Ford: Cutting public health programs
o Politicians changing policy
• ex. Harper gov muzzling scientists - idea that there was a communications policy
o How federally funded scientists can talk to media?
Details have to be vetted
What you can say as a scientist in Canada
o Evidence doesn't say anything as politics shapes it
Policy vs. Politics - ANSWER-"...understanding the politics of the policy
process is arguably as important as
understanding how medicine improves
health."
Policy vs. Law - ANSWER-Policy vs Law
• Law can enact policy
• JT campaigned on idea of legalizing weed
• Policy of objective was legalization
• Only way to do it is to make law that legalizes is
• Muddies us when the policy is trying to be changed but not reflected in the law
• Policy - just a statement of objectives
• Law - enacts those objectives
Policy vs Law Examples - ANSWER-Ex. Law changed in vaping - where they can be
used
o Hospital had to update policy to include vaping
o Could have not changed policy and still be illegal
o But wanted hospitals policy in enact/promote the law
Policy vs Not Policy - ANSWER-Ex. Fevers and work: Forbidding people with fevers
from going
to work
o Work setting if they made a policy they have control over that
o May not be a good policy bc it might not have repercussions
o Might not even be legal to have such a Policy
o Think about it as a rule - but isn't always
o Policy does look like the law then the repercussions are legal
o If there is no regulation to enforce the policy then there's not punishment
, Is the sickness policy an actual policy or not?
Answer is YES, an employer saying employees cannot come in as sick DOES
constitute a policy
You can't come to work if you are sick - statement
Objectives are implicit - stop spread of illness
Decision is a policy of that organization
Ex. Canadas food guide is a policy to enforce healthy choices but its not forced where
as there is a punishment for other things
Policy or Not Policy - abortion example - ANSWER-R v. Morgentaler (1988) effectively
removed all criminal laws regulating
abortion in Canada
• There are therefore no explicit laws
pertaining to abortion in Canada, and so it
is technically legal at all stages of
pregnancy
Juul Case - ANSWER-Juul CEO: understands the problem
• Trump tries to ban pods
• Juul is seen as maybe very self-beneficial by saying that they understand why and that
they won't sell it - will have a big effect on the market
• Fact that juul says they won't ship to US store rep a private company policy
• Private Health policy - to prevent illness, juul holds back
• Public health policy - to prevent illness gov puts a bad, with legal enforcement
• Private health policy vs public health - both would be beneficial for health overall
Constitution Act, 1867 - ANSWER-Law passed by the British
parliament that created
Canada, founded on
Indigenous lands
Specifies the responsibilities
of the national (federal)
government and the
provinces and territories
• Specifies the responsibilities as national gov and the responsibilities of sub national
gov (provinces)
• This is federalism
Sets out the exclusive powers of provinces:
• Section 92(a): "The Establishment, Maintenance,
and Management of Hospitals, Asylums, Charities,
and Eleemosynary Institutions in and for the
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (GRADED
A+)
Policy: - ANSWER-A broad statement of goals and objectives and means that create
the means for activity: explicit or implicit. (written vs not)
"...decisions taken by those with responsibility
for a given policy area."
also think of them as decisions - gov decides to pass a law (that decision reflects the
policy)
o statements count, and actual decisions count as policy
o gov choosing not to respond to an issue could be their policy
mandate - ANSWER-Mandate letter - what they want you to do in their term of office
That reflects the mandate of what issues are important to the gov
o Reflected in the policy
o Publicly available
o Tracker - track policies to see what ones are completed, modified or not being
pursued
o See similar levels provincially
o Currently mandate letters are not available - Doug ford gov
Can't track accountability
Public policy: - ANSWER-Policy that has been made by the state of the government.
"...a course of action or inaction chosen by public authorities to address a given
problem..."
"...anything a government chooses to do or not to do."
Can be both public and private (public like the gov, private like Microsoft)
Health Policy: - ANSWER-"...courses of action (and inaction) that affect the set of
institutions, organizations, services and funding arrangements of the health and health
care system."
• Policies that have to do with health
• Policies created by health agencies/organizations
• Can be both public and private (public like the gov, private like apple workers health
benefits)
,NOTE: policy - ANSWER-Policy is big picture
Subset is public policy
Subset is health policy but other bit of it can be private
HP example: Who can give blood - HIV AIDS RISK - ANSWER-• 1997 - can't give blood
if you ever had sex with a man
• 2013 - last 5 years
• 2016 - past year
• 2019 - 3 month encounter
• Mandate to address blood giving discrimination currently showing within the trend that
it is being addressed
• Good example of a health policy made by a public authority
Healthy public policy - ANSWER-Public policies outside of the health sector
"characterized by an explicit concern for
health and equity in all areas of policy and by
an accountability for health impact."
• Healthy public policy can be in transportation (align policy with health objectives)
o Doesn't seem like health policy that's why it is called healthy public policy
o Bc so many social factors surround health and overlap - can address within other
policy
o Other sectors that relate to health but originate in other fields are called Healthy public
policy (vs health policy)
• ex. Sale of alcohol at festival
o How to do that in a way that's health related
o Is it thinking about health and its impacts or not
Want it to be convenient vs is the accessibility bad for health
Public policy vs healthy public policy
Policy vs. Program - ANSWER-Policy: Broad statement of goals, objectives
and means that create the framework for
activity.
Program: Activity that organizes or delivers
a service or goods to achieve a policy's
objectives.
• Program is the activity
• Policy doesn't do anything directly just sets the agenda
• Program or multiple of them to achieve aims of broader policy
Policy: To reduce # of overdoses and
deaths caused by opioids (e.g., fentanyl)
,Program: Ontario Naloxone Program for
Pharmacies (free Naloxone kits)
Politics - ANSWER-Politics: "the art or science concerned with
guiding or influencing governmental policy"
• Politics - how do I get in power to influence what we do
o Art and science of getting to setting agenda
• ex. Doug Ford: Cutting public health programs
o Politicians changing policy
• ex. Harper gov muzzling scientists - idea that there was a communications policy
o How federally funded scientists can talk to media?
Details have to be vetted
What you can say as a scientist in Canada
o Evidence doesn't say anything as politics shapes it
Policy vs. Politics - ANSWER-"...understanding the politics of the policy
process is arguably as important as
understanding how medicine improves
health."
Policy vs. Law - ANSWER-Policy vs Law
• Law can enact policy
• JT campaigned on idea of legalizing weed
• Policy of objective was legalization
• Only way to do it is to make law that legalizes is
• Muddies us when the policy is trying to be changed but not reflected in the law
• Policy - just a statement of objectives
• Law - enacts those objectives
Policy vs Law Examples - ANSWER-Ex. Law changed in vaping - where they can be
used
o Hospital had to update policy to include vaping
o Could have not changed policy and still be illegal
o But wanted hospitals policy in enact/promote the law
Policy vs Not Policy - ANSWER-Ex. Fevers and work: Forbidding people with fevers
from going
to work
o Work setting if they made a policy they have control over that
o May not be a good policy bc it might not have repercussions
o Might not even be legal to have such a Policy
o Think about it as a rule - but isn't always
o Policy does look like the law then the repercussions are legal
o If there is no regulation to enforce the policy then there's not punishment
, Is the sickness policy an actual policy or not?
Answer is YES, an employer saying employees cannot come in as sick DOES
constitute a policy
You can't come to work if you are sick - statement
Objectives are implicit - stop spread of illness
Decision is a policy of that organization
Ex. Canadas food guide is a policy to enforce healthy choices but its not forced where
as there is a punishment for other things
Policy or Not Policy - abortion example - ANSWER-R v. Morgentaler (1988) effectively
removed all criminal laws regulating
abortion in Canada
• There are therefore no explicit laws
pertaining to abortion in Canada, and so it
is technically legal at all stages of
pregnancy
Juul Case - ANSWER-Juul CEO: understands the problem
• Trump tries to ban pods
• Juul is seen as maybe very self-beneficial by saying that they understand why and that
they won't sell it - will have a big effect on the market
• Fact that juul says they won't ship to US store rep a private company policy
• Private Health policy - to prevent illness, juul holds back
• Public health policy - to prevent illness gov puts a bad, with legal enforcement
• Private health policy vs public health - both would be beneficial for health overall
Constitution Act, 1867 - ANSWER-Law passed by the British
parliament that created
Canada, founded on
Indigenous lands
Specifies the responsibilities
of the national (federal)
government and the
provinces and territories
• Specifies the responsibilities as national gov and the responsibilities of sub national
gov (provinces)
• This is federalism
Sets out the exclusive powers of provinces:
• Section 92(a): "The Establishment, Maintenance,
and Management of Hospitals, Asylums, Charities,
and Eleemosynary Institutions in and for the
