Health Care

[caesar]

"about how Canadian doctors are being recruited to work in the US?"

No, they are being asked to write prescriptions so Americans can buy their prescription in Canada. As they do not even see the patient; any skill is not really needed; just their signature. Easy money for them without even seeing the patient. Why work and think when they can get paid for nothing more than providing a signature??

[caesar]

"and their big mac love affair (this is just an analogy, I am not saying all fat people eat big macs). So we outlaw big macs, "

That IS already the next target. McDonalds is a prime target; yet every other chain of fast food provides the same fatty food. It is each individuals persons responsibility to eat healthy and properly. A big mac won't kill anyone; however, always eating fried food at home or at a restaurant is unhealthy. It is not the restaurant's fault; it is the consumer.

[Bakunin]

I think if the government let evrybody degrade their health with stuff like fastfood and smoke then we will just continue to have bad health and we will continue to have a shitty healthcare service that cost us too much what we can afford.

people need to be taken responsible for their health and the government has to make it clear.

If you smoke its not my fault, if you get cancer because you smoke too much then your responsible.

[caesar]

Bakunin; I guess you like your booze; You like to forget that little boost to costs for our medical system; drunk drivers, spousal and child abuse from mean drunks, and health problems and social problems from over indulgence.

Everyone has some indulgences that can add to our health care costs even amateur athletes are big contributors. The Pros, I believe, pay their own way with private care.

[idealisttotheend]

Study's have shown (and no I don't have a link handy and these studies are not widely distributed) that smokers save the health system money. Everyone dies of something and that something requires expensive treatment usually. Smokers just die about ten years earlier so they actually cost the system less money since those ten years are usually "non-productive" i.e. the person would not be working. Smokers are unhealthier throughout their lives but again they "miss" the years where a fall will lead to a broken hip or where they require an old folk home etc.

The blame the smokers movement is just a way for goverments to justify cigarette tax hikes.

[Bro]

If we took the" lost" taxes,and money to make a fully bilingual country,and money we save by having no military,and the 45 billion surplus in the ei funds,and 7%gst which the liberals said we did not need,and money for new jets to transport politicians,etc.etc.,would healthcare actually have a funding problem from this"compassionate"

liberal government?

[Cartman]

What about the surplus? I cannot recall how much the Romanow Report demanded, but I thought that it was substantially less than the surplus.

We do already nail vices for funding (huge taxes on booze and smokes). It is also my understanding that smokers save the system $$ because they die much earlier than others. I agree smoking is dumb but I would not restrict care. Just so you know, a major reason why smoking is so unhealthy is because of the pesticides used on these crops. These same pesticides are also found in your vegetables. In a natural state, tobacco does not normally contain Xenon 846 (just made that up of course).

BTW, why is it that when a person deals drugs, they are the bad guys, but the tobacco/spirit industry is legit?

[Protest]

My mother which of whome is dying of cancer and has only a few months to live, gets visited at our home by two nurses 5 days a week, plus medication.

Try getting that in the U.S.

[Guest eureka]

There is an article in today's Toronto Star that should be require reading before any expression of opinion on the Healthcare sustem.

It does not tell anything we should did not no. but it does give the figures.

Those figures show how much we have all been the victims of the greedyright wing ideology that has seized this generation of Canadians, The figures show that healthcare is not only sustainable but that we spend less as a %ge of GDP now than we did a dozen or so years ago.

The idea of a crisis in healthcare and of the "growing" proportion of revenues is exploded. The only thing that governments are short of is revenues. That is entirely the consequence of tax cutting. All programs have suffered not merely healthcare.

It didn't have to be. Without the Mannings, Harpers, Harris's and Kleins: without the self serving Fraser Institute and a few others who give their clients what they want to hear instead of truth, there would not have been this manufactured crisis in government and in the social conditions of Canada

[maplesyrup]

Post the link please.

[Cartman]

My mother which of whome is dying of cancer and has only a few months to live, gets visited at our home by two nurses 5 days a week, plus medication.

Try getting that in the U.S.

I have gone through the exact same thing when living in BC. Thank goodness that I did not have to stress out over the cost of health care as well as the loss of a loved one.

Keep your chin up.

[willy]

It didn't have to be. Without the Mannings, Harpers, Harris's and Kleins: without the self serving Fraser Institute and a few others who give their clients what they want to hear instead of truth, there would not have been this manufactured crisis in government and in the social conditions of Canada

Alberta has the highest per capita spending on healthcare in Canada.

The crisis is not simple.

* New procedures are very expensive.

* New equipment is very expensive.

* We have an aging population.

* We have a labour shortage (i.e. physicians and nurses)

Our current public system does not meet the demand and the demand will go up. The most expensive time of life is 60-80 years of age because you will need more medication and intervention.

All these factors are pressing for change. Not cuts but structural change so the resources we have can better serve the population. Health care has changed and the system must change with it.

Home care is one of the most efficient ways of providing quality health care. When hospitals close or become long term care facilities realize the resources are being refocused to primary care not going away.

As for Manning and Harper, they see the role of the feds as funding, and facilitator. The provinces hold the responsibility for delivery. Let’s hope Ujal realizes that before he meets with the first ministers.

No mainstream political party in Canada stands for privatizing public health insurance.

As for private delivery we all use family doctors, thus have all contributed to private delivery of health care.

This issue needs not be partisan but needs to focus on health outcomes.

[Guest eureka]

I would not know how to post the link. I read it in the paper not on line.

One stat in the piece is that in 1992 Canada spent 7.4 % of GDP on healthcare. In 2002, it spent 6.7$; a considerable reduction. The reason for the increasing proportion of Provincial expenditures is declining revenues not increasing expenditures. Those revenues are declining purely because of the tax cuts and the diversion of these to those who don't need them.

Thus, in answer to willy, it is a partisan and ideological problem and not a problem of sustainability

[noelandmero]

My mother which of whome is dying of cancer and has only a few months to live, gets visited at our home by two nurses 5 days a week, plus medication.

Try getting that in the U.S.

Actually it is very easy. I ran my hand through a table saw last year and had a wound care nurse at my house twice a day to change the bandages. Comments like this are baseless and just show ignorance. These services are far easier to get in the US they just cost far more money. As I have said before no extreme health care system works the US system is on one end of the spectrum and Canada's is on the other end. Systems that attempt to balance private and public are proven to be the best. If any one is interested I have the latest study on world health care systems that shows this but I can not post it as it is a 50 page acrobat file but I would be happy to email it to you.

[Big Blue Machine]

Whats wrong with prvate delivery of public health care? Do you care where you get your check up as long you don't pay for it. I don't.

[caesar]

[quote); " Whats wrong with prvate delivery of public health care? Do you care where you get your check up as long you don't pay for it. I don't. "

But you do pay for it; and we are paying for the public health care system already. Why would we want to pay twice????

[maplesyrup]

Whats wrong with prvate delivery of public health care? Do you care where you get your check up as long you don't pay for it. I don't.

I have the feelin' that what you wanted to communicate is not what you actually wrote.

Am I correct?

[maplesyrup]

Dosanjh seen as a tough negotiator

Mr. Dosanjh is a former New Democratic Party premier and attorney-general in British Columbia. A clue to his views on health care emerged at a premiers conference in Winnipeg in 2000. At that meeting, Mr. Dosanjh ran counter to many premiers by arguing that health care was largely a federal matter. "A national problem requires a national solution," he said in maintaining that Ottawa has a right to attach strings when it gives money to the provinces.

I think we are heading into a major battle over health care in Canada. With the appointment of Dosanjh, Martin is signaling, regardless of what it says in the constitution, that Canadians need national standards across the country, and not a bulcanization of health care services.

And if the opposition gets too vocal, Martin will call an election on this issue, and win a massive majority, as he will be supported by most Canadians.

Maybe our constitution needs to be updated to better reflect Canada in the 21st century, eh!

[maplesyrup]

This presents a big challenge for the New Democrats, as their national standards for the health care system are similiar to the Liberals.

Usually when Liberal policies are the same as the New Democrat policies, people will vote for the Liberals.

We could be back at the polls within 6 months, except that the Conservatives are frightened to death of fighting an election on this issue.

(238)

[maplesyrup]

Canada used to have a private health care system, and Canadians rejected that system a long time ago. The idea that health care in Canada is going private is dead in the water.

Our health care system is fine - just a matter of some tinkering, but overall, it is the envy of most of the world.

And to ensure that that the provincial governments don't play any games with this issue, there are going to be three full days of public negotiations with the federales, to ensure our premiers tell the truth to Canadians.

Apart from some personal privacy and defence issues, we need to put an end to all this secrecy in governemnt anyways.

[maplesyrup]

Stephen Harper worried about PM's plan for televised health care talks

My My so Mr Harper doesn't want the Health Care talks to take place in public.

Gee, I wonder if if this has anything to do with his hidden agenda to privitize health care.

Otherwise why would anyone want these talks private unless they had something to hide?

This is brilliant stategy on Martin's part.

[maplesyrup]

Dosanjh emphasizes accountability

This appears to be quite a dramatic shift in appraoch between Pettigrew and Dosanjh, moving from decentralization to centralization, which I have a hunch most Canadians will support as they want national standards.

The federales need to set up a snitch line for citizens to watch our provincial governments. If they try anything outside of the Canada Health Act, citizens should report them to the federales, and then the federales can cut the money off.

[Bakunin]

the fact that the province don't have enough money to run their healthcare system are a proof that their is a fiscal imbalance between the federal and the province. I just see this as a power trip from the federal again. The arrogance of the liberal that think ottawa know best.

Each province have their own problem with their healthcare system and i don't think that we can harmonize healthcare in canada. Just think about it, each province give different amount of money for their healthcare system, each work according to the need of their population. So harmonizing the system will result in a less good healthcare.

[caesar]

The big reasons why the provinces do not have money for healthcare is because if they cry that cry they hope to get more from the federal government. However, they do not think they should account for how it is spent.

Our provincial government seems to have lots of money for multimillion dollar improvement for a ski hill; an extravagant transportation system to the airport.

If they fund healthcare; they would have nothing to cry about.

[playfullfellow]

Our provincial government seems to have lots of money for multimillion dollar improvement for a ski hill; an extravagant transportation system to the airport.

We don't have the same problem here in Alberta but healthcare costs seem to keep rising but with not much extra from the feds unless you spend the money the way they want you to. That is along the same lines as your boss handing you a pay cheque and then telling you how you have to spend the money. Doesn't make much sense. I don't agree with what BC is doing if they are indeed taking money that should be spent on healthcare and spending it on the Olympics. But in effect, is the problem underfunding or is there too much waste in the healthcare system that wastes the money?