Healthcare is one of the exclusive powers of the provinces, as laid out in the constitution. There are things the federal government can do, such as provide money, but provincial leaders complaining about lack of federal involvement do so in bad faith; they would certainly complain louder if the federal government overstepped their bounds. It's worth pointing out that taxation and borrowing are also constitutionally protected powers of the province.
It is indeed a power of the province. I meant the shift in responsibility for funding the healthcare programs. The initial health transfers to the provinces in the 1970s covered approximately half the cost; now, the ratio is around 22% (and actually growing in recent years).
