Of all the many questions raised by the Romanow Report, the one most often asked is "Where's the money coming from?"--and it's the one question that should not be asked at all.
The money needed to "fix" Medicare--whether it's the $15 billion over the next four years called for by Romanow, or even double that amount--is readily available.
Where will it come from? The answer may be found in the following statistics:
Health, health care system, pharmacare
It's hard to miss the explosion of media stories regarding miraculous new pharmaceuticals. But given that medicine can both help and harm, how reliable is the information that Canadians -- including patients and health care professionals -- receive from our country's mainstream newspapers?
Nobody in Canada had ever researched this question before, so no one really knew how well the media -- one of the most trusted and valued sources of information about health care -- was doing its job.
It hasn't been often that we at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives have found occasion to applaud the BC government for one of its new policies. But we did commend the government for Bill 92--The Medicare Protection Amendment Act. Now, sadly, after a fierce three-week campaign by private surgical clinics, the government appears to be backing away from this needed law.
If there is anything the First Ministers and the new Prime Minister Paul Martin need before they meet to discuss health care late this week, it's a good dose of Dr. Phil, the ubiquitous TV psychologist.
It's not news to hear the provinces are heading into the meeting demanding more money with no strings attached. It is news that Canada's self appointed financial management guru, Paul Martin, appears poised to give away $2 billion to the provinces, no strings attached. And more amazing that he'd do this twice, given what happened last time.
Belinda Stronach and Ralph Klein have declared open season on the concept of universal health care. Their timing is impeccable. In a matter of months the Supreme Court will entertain just such an argument, perhaps opening the door to permanent two-tier health care.
The upcoming Supreme Court case will test a bid to allow Canadians the right to private health care when they want it - a virtual Pizza Pizza guarantee of 30-minute delivery or it's free.
Recently two provincial governments have removed one of the most important democratic rights that Canadians enjoy - collective bargaining. Not only have British Columbia and Newfoundland arbitrarily ended public sector strikes that began legally but they have also imposed the terms of settlement on the workers through legislation. Such actions are part of a remarkably short-sighted and even dangerous trend.
(Vancouver) The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says that if the provincial government cuts Pharmacare, it will be a costly mistake for British Columbians. "The ideas being floated by the BC Liberals aren't about cutting costs, they are merely about shifting costs," says Colleen Fuller, a health care researcher and associate with the CCPA. "People will still need drugs, so cutting Pharmacare simply means transferring costs onto individuals and employers."
(OTTAWA) Of the three competing visions for health care that are on the table -- proposed by Senator Michael Kirby, Roy Romanow, and the provinces -- only one will end up defining the direction of the upcoming First Minister's conference and, ultimately, February's federal budget, says economist Armine Yalnizyan.
In the third of an on-going series entitled Paying for Keeps: Securing the Future of Public Health Care, Yalnizyan lays out the difference between the three visions for health care and makes the case for a strong federal role.