The Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (French pronunciation: [ʁeʒi də lasyʁɑ̃s maladi dy kebɛk], RAMQ, often pronounced "ram-q" by French and English speakers alike) is the government health insurance board in the province of Quebec, Canada.
The Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec was established in 1969 for the purpose of setting up the public health insurance plan.
[2] Under Canadian federal law, all citizens and permanent residents are entitled to free basic health care, wherein each province administers their own system.
A majority of physicians in Quebec participate in the plan, implying that they are remunerated directly by the board for the services they provide.
[5] The card was first implemented by Quebec's Health Minister Claude Castonguay in 1970, considered one of the key persons in the establishment of public medical insurance and healthcare in Canada.