user fees

9:28AM
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For a government that claims to want to cut taxes on Canada’s middle class, the Trudeau Liberals are doing a bang up job of increasing them.


1:05PM
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The federal health minister seems aware that policy innovation—not more money—is necessary to improve Canadian health care.


3:00AM
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The problem of a high-cost low-performance system is not just a provincial one—but a Canadian one.


1:56PM
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It’s likely no coincidence that countries with cost-sharing programs in place have waiting times that are significantly shorter than those in Canada.


4:00PM
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Canada’s largest cities are growing rapidly and what were once sparsely populated rural areas are quickly becoming city neighbourhoods.


2:00AM
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As the premiers meet this week in Victoria, a number of provinces are clearly distressed about the federal government’s plan to reduce the automatic annual increase in health transfers from the current six per cent to the rate of economic growth starting in 2017-18. While the announcement has not been applauded by most premiers and their respective health ministers, it is long overdue.

2:00AM
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In response to an advisory panel report commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association, CMA president Dr. Jeff Turnbull conceded that when it comes to health care financing, all options should be considered in order to manage the unsustainable growth in health care spending. The report provided 10 recommendations; among them, changing the way that hospital services are financed and allowing greater competition in the delivery of publicly funded medical services. But the most contentious endorsement was related to patient funding – specifically the use of user fees.


2:00AM
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The provincial government has finally decided to cut back on one small area of health spending, by significantly increasing user fees for Pharmacare. Although many British Columbians are under the misapprehension that the Liberal government cut back health care spending, spending increased the day it took over from the NDP.