The End Of Medicare?
Representatives from the BC Retired Teachers Association and the reps for other Seniors’ groups meeting with MPs Alex Atamanenko and Dan Albas about the threats to Medicare Monday and Tuesday of last week. By asking for these meetings we were standing up for our health care system; not just for seniors but for all Canadian citizens. Such meetings (with MPs) have occurred and are happening in most parts of BC.
We told our MPs Alex Atamanenko and Dan Albas that we were worried about the expiration of the current 10 year Canada Health Accord which is set to happen on March 31st. We said that we were wondering how the end of the Canada Health Accord was going to effect us and that some organizations such as the Canada Health Coalition have been telling us that “…it will basically be the end of national Medicare. ” as we know it.
Source: http://m.the globeandmail.com/news/politics/advocates-decry-ottawas-decision-to-stop-funding-health-council-of-canada/article11287924/?service=mobile
On December 19, 2011 The Globe and Mail reported that: “The Conservative government has surprised the provinces by unveiling its long-term funding plan for health and social transfers, presenting finance ministers with a multi-billion spending plan that runs until the year 2024.” Finance Minister Flaherty announced that the current Canada Health and Social Transfer Accord, which expires at the end of March this year, would not be re-negotiated and renewed. Instead, as of 2017, the Canada Health transfer guarantees would be reduced by 50%. The provinces and territories stand to lose $36 billion in health care support by 2024.
Source: www.theglobeandmail.com/…flaherty…health-spending…/article4247851/
Atamanenko said that without a new accord there will be 14 different standards of health care in the provinces and territories. Health care services provided in BC could be very different from those offered in Newfoundland or Alberta. He also said that medicare as we know it will definitely be very different if private health care is brought in; that it will mean two levels of care with one for the rich and one for the rest of us
He went on to say that there was no consultation, no input from the provinces and territories, no parliamentary debate! He said that he was shocked and dismayed but not surprised by this Government’s unilateral decision.
When asked about the expiry of the Canada Health Accord the MP for Okanagan—Coquihalla (Penticton, north) Dan Albas said that the new arrangement will allow the Federal Government to withdraw from its role as the protector and reinforcer of the public health system. It will allow the provincial and territorial governments to allocate their health care funding and resources in ways that they believe are right for their citizens in each of the individual provinces and territories.
Dan Albas said that he did not believe that it is the Federal Government’s responsibility to dictate how the provinces and territories organize their individual health care systems. He said that there are different ways to deliver health care; he thinks that it is a good idea for each province and territory to try alternatives and that if these different methods work they can be copied and put in place if other provinces approve of them. He also said that if a province tries something that is a failure, the other provinces will learn from that province’s mistakes. MP Dan Albas pointed out that the current Conservative government has brought about improvements to such things as “reducing waiting time” for some high demand surgical needs such as cataract surgeries and hip and knee replacements. He also reminded us that the current Conservative government has increased funding for health care to record levels.
When Dan Albas was asked if the end of the Canada Health Care Accord on March 31, 2014 will undermine public health care because of the 50% reduction in the funding commitment, he responded by saying that the new arrangements should allow for some improvements because future funding would be tied to each area’s economic growth or decline, change in population and health care needs. He also said that health care should be a provincial matter; that we should take our concerns to our MLAs.
The representatives of the BC Retired Teachers’ Association did voice concerns such as those put forward by the BC Health Coalition which has stated that “The Federal Government is turning its back on public health at a time when we need our elected leaders to help build a caring future for Canada.” We pointed out that the approaching tsunami of elders and senior citizens we are guaranteed to have in the next two decades is going to require a strong, universal publicly funded health care system that Canadians are proud to say that they have had in place since 1966.
Source: http://www.bchealthcoalition.ca/content/view/291/2/
We ended our meetings by asking our two MPs to please consider our requests for:
•a Canada-wide, universal, publicly funded health care system.
•a Canada-wide pharmaceutical program so that all the provinces and territories can negotiate better “bulk-buying” deals with the companies that provide us with medications.
•a health care system that better integrates home-care with hospitals, long term care facilities and palliative care
Respectfully submitted,
Stefan Cieslik
President, Wine Country Retired Teachers’ Association
A branch of the BC Retired Teachers’ Association
Feb 27/14