Citizen Participation in the Reform of Health Care Policy: A Case Example

Abstract

The trend toward greater citizen participation in health care policy reform has its roots in the consumerism of the 1960s. This era witnessed the beginning of a dispersion of power in health care and an increase in the number and variety of stakeholders involved in the policy development process. Using the reform of Ontario's long-term care policy as a case example, this paper offers observations about the benefits and challenges of participative policy-making. Despite the challenges and the paucity of hard evidence pointing to benefits, the author concludes that broad citizen participation in health care policy reform is a desirable goal. However, the capacity for genuine collaboration remains underdeveloped and requires more systematic refinement.