Social Policy in Ontario

Health-care scare tactics foreseen

Posted on April 8, 2010 in Health Debates

Source: Toronto Star — Authors: Pam Churchill

Re:Reality check on health-care costs, Opinion April 4

Several years ago, I was in the audience of health care professionals when Michael Rachlis warned that we would hear much about our unsustainable health care system. Scare tactics would be used, he said, to convince us that privatization is necessary. How right he has been!

Over the years, Dr. Rachlis has studied health-care delivery and contributed data and observations that bring reason to the debate.

The Liberal Thinkers Conference was, typically, disappointing. Of course the discussion turned to delivery and none of the speakers was versed in the subject. They uttered platitudes such as “we need evidence-based policy” and “it does not matter if it is public or private as long as it is cost effective,” while never indicating that they knew what evidence tells us.

Advocates of privatization say we need “an intelligent debate” on medicare. I say bring it on. But let’s also hear the evidence for a single-payer system. We do need change, probably revolutionary change, but that does not necessarily mean more privatization.

While we are at it, let’s challenge those well-paid executives who, in my view, have not done enough to find savings by doing things better.

Pam Churchill, Toronto

< http://www.thestar.com/opinion/article/791869–health-care-scare-tactics-foreseen >

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