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September 16, 2010

Paging Dr. Carolyn Bennett, MD…

Here’s an MP cast in the mold of Preston Manning and the rest of his Reformatory ilk:

Canadians must embrace the resources locked within the private sector if we are going to have a sustainable health care system.

…

We are careening into a brick wall where health care costs are rising at over seven per cent a year while revenues are increasing at only four per cent a year. This is due to our aging population, more expensive technologies, and a shrinking workforce. Baby boomers are retiring and our reproduction rate of 1.7 children per woman sits well below the rate of 2.1 that is needed to just maintain our population. Health costs continue to exceed resources year-in and year-out. This translates into hospitals withholding care from sick patients (rationing), previously medically insured services not being covered anymore (de-listing), and additional fees being charged to the patient for services rendered. This has resulted in longer waiting times, medical personnel leaving the profession because they are fed up with being unable to care for their patients, reduced access to care for those in need and, most importantly, people enduring needless pain and suffering while they wait an excessively long time for care. This situation is not going to get better, only worse.

Only one source that can provide the extra monies we need to fund our medical needs: the private sector.

In order for this to happen we must get serious about reforming our health system and not tinkering with it. First, the Canada Health Act (CHA) must be modernized to allow patients to pay for care if they wish, in entirely separate facilities funded solely by the private sector. Individuals who go to these centres would be paying for care out of their own pocket or through private insurance they have purchased. By leaving the public system, they will be shortening the queues for those who are waiting. People using private facilities from time to time would also be free to access the public system that their taxes are paying for. Private facilities would act as a release valve and would in effect be subsidizing the public system. Physicians and other medical personnel would work in both systems.

…

We cannot continue to wrap ourselves in the CHA, hold onto shibboleths and demonize those who are trying to modernize our obsolete healthcare system. It must be overhauled in order to fulfill its ultimate objective, which is to ensure that all Canadians, regardless of income, will have timely access to the quality care they need when they fall ill and that the length and quality of our lives will be the best it can be.

Dr. Carolyn Bennett, MD, should be outraged! Will she be? Who is this heretic? Is it Stephen Harper, is it Stockwell Day? Maxime Bernier?

No, it’s MP Keith Martin, a practising doctor and a Liberal.

Thanks Dr. Martin for advancing the debate on the evolution of healthcare to address modern and future needs. Can we have more of it?

This entry was authored by Stephen Taylor at 03:08 PM | Tweet this | Comments (17)

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http://twitter.com/eapr9 eapr9

I totally agree with Dr Martin on this issue. One wonders why he belongs to a prty that totally buries their heads in the sand on this issue.
http://twitter.com/eapr9 eapr9

I totally agree with Dr Martin on this issue. One wonders why he belongs to a prty that totally buries their heads in the sand on this issue.
Real Conservative

Yes a blended solution and more emphasis on good health practices for the population in general. One of the richest countries in the world and most people eat a terrible diet, lack exercise and do not observe basic bodily needs eg. rest and sleep and water intake requirements. (real conservative)
Liz J

For goodness sake, forget about Dr Carolyn Bennett, file under hopeless cases.

As for Doc Martin, he made a choice to become a Liberal, I can’t see him making any progress on this in that party, it’s not on their agenda. Things like Afghan detainees , which they carped on for months, trumps everything.
Liz J

For goodness sake, forget about Dr Carolyn Bennett, file under hopeless cases.

As for Doc Martin, he made a choice to become a Liberal, I can’t see him making any progress on this in that party, it’s not on their agenda. Things like Afghan detainees , which they carped on for months, trumps everything.
http://calgarymanifesto.wordpress.com/ The Calgary Manifesto

It isn’t really surprising it came from Keith Martin, his time in the Reform party makes for very interesting reading.
http://calgarymanifesto.wordpress.com/ The Calgary Manifesto

It isn’t really surprising it came from Keith Martin, his time in the Reform party makes for very interesting reading.
Anonymous

Dr Martin has some valid points, and there are many dr’s in the CMA who’d like to see private medicine available in Canada, for both altruistic and self-interested reasons, but he overstates the issues, and furnishes little proof for his main claims.

I’m not a health professional, but I’ve spent too much of the last few years observing the system as my relatives receive treatment. I have never seen (or heard of) rationing, beyond the sensible withholding of a painful procedure with little hope for a better outcome, and I’m certain that if rationing was widespread, it would be headline news. He also doesn’t mention how many wait-times have decreased.

Heard the news this week that cancer survival rates are up in Canada? Of course this data was from StatsCan, and it’s pretty clear how you CPC types regard that organization…

Personally, I think that there is a place for private healthcare service providers… but as subcontractors to the overall single-payer system, not as a separate parallel private system. I would also have no problem if the hospital funding was on a per-patient/service basis, instead of fixed-budget. But that’s a hard sell in this tight time.

Dr Martin points out how Canada is behind some European countries in quality of healthcare (Actually the WHO says Canada is 30th in the world)

All true, but he fails to mention how those governments have achieved those results. The leading countries either have a highly socialized health system, or the government has created a rigid frame for private industry (compulsory insurance, all practitioners must be in the insurance system, no one can be denied coverage, government oversight of rates and policies). There are also unique factors, like how physician salaries are not at stratospheric levels in most of those countries.

Of course, few of the above ideas will fly in North America.

I would say that the most sensible plan is a couple of small steps – eg use more private service suppliers within the single-payer system. We can’t embark on a private system, til the health-care drama plays out in the US.
Anonymous

Dr Martin has some valid points, and there are many dr’s in the CMA who’d like to see private medicine available in Canada, for both altruistic and self-interested reasons, but he overstates the issues, and furnishes little proof for his main claims.

I’m not a health professional, but I’ve spent too much of the last few years observing the system as my relatives receive treatment. I have never seen (or heard of) rationing, beyond the sensible withholding of a painful procedure with little hope for a better outcome, and I’m certain that if rationing was widespread, it would be headline news. He also doesn’t mention how many wait-times have decreased.

Heard the news this week that cancer survival rates are up in Canada? Of course this data was from StatsCan, and it’s pretty clear how you CPC types regard that organization…

Personally, I think that there is a place for private healthcare service providers… but as subcontractors to the overall single-payer system, not as a separate parallel private system. I would also have no problem if the hospital funding was on a per-patient/service basis, instead of fixed-budget. But that’s a hard sell in this tight time.

Dr Martin points out how Canada is behind some European countries in quality of healthcare (Actually the WHO says Canada is 30th in the world)

All true, but he fails to mention how those governments have achieved those results. The leading countries either have a highly socialized health system, or the government has created a rigid frame for private industry (compulsory insurance, all practitioners must be in the insurance system, no one can be denied coverage, government oversight of rates and policies). There are also unique factors, like how physician salaries are not at stratospheric levels in most of those countries.

Of course, few of the above ideas will fly in North America.

I would say that the most sensible plan is a couple of small steps – eg use more private service suppliers within the single-payer system. We can’t embark on a private system, til the health-care drama plays out in the US.
Anonymous

…more emphasis on good health practices for the population in general

No kidding. But if I’d said this, here is where Liz, or the bat would jump in screaming “nanny-state” .
Anonymous

…more emphasis on good health practices for the population in general

No kidding. But if I’d said this, here is where Liz, or the bat would jump in screaming “nanny-state” .
Lou

Users must pay for each visit and know what this costs!
Lou

Users must pay for each visit and know what this costs!
Lou

Users must pay for each visit and know what this costs!
wilson

Iffy gave Ms Bennett the boot , out of the health critic position,
now you have to call up Ujjal Dosanjh.

She got demoted to Democratic Renewal
because of this
http://www.healthzone.ca/health/newsfeatures/swineflu/article/717627–grand-chief-accuses-liberals-of-using-body-bag-debacle-for-political-gain
wilson

p.s.
now we know why Iffy chose Ujjal Dosanjh as the new health critic,
instead of Dr Martin,
Keith’s position would not be acceptable for coalition partner, NDP leader Layton.
Real Conservative

Depends on how it is done frankly. I find doctors and the system are not into holistic solutions to problems but wanting quick fixes which the drug industry provides. Hmmm… is that like the illegal drug trade in some fashion? (real conservative)