Archive for the ‘Health Debates’ Category
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The risks of ending safer supply drugs programs
Sunday, January 28th, 2024
21 of 24 federally funded safer supply programs are in jeopardy, as their contracts will expire in March. And with just two months until then, the feds have given no indication that they’ll renew their commitment to any of them. Ottawa’s silence on the matter is all the more disturbing given the recent, dramatic increase in overdose deaths — and the mounting evidence in support of safer supply.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health
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Ford government’s bottomless determination to convert our drinking into private profit should concern us all
Wednesday, November 29th, 2023
… making alcohol cheaper and easier to purchase unsurprisingly leads to higher levels of drinking and increases in harm… Our drinking is big business — almost $10 billion a year — and multiple players are fighting to grab a larger slice of that pie. And while the industry winners may be about to waltz off with a record windfall, the likely losers — the Ontario taxpayers — may be left to deal with increasing social and health harms, all on a shrinking budget.
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization
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Growing gas plants: a made-in-Ontario public health failure
Friday, November 17th, 2023
Air pollution prematurely kills at least 6,600 Ontarians annually… Breathing toxic polluted air, further worsened by gas expansion, causes disease throughout our bodies… Other jurisdictions worldwide are successfully combining energy conservation, storage, and safe large-scale renewable energy transitions using solar, wind and hydro. Overlooking these low-cost, ready and reliable solutions, the Ontario government deliberately cancelled pre-existing renewable projects, costing taxpayers approximately $231 million.
Tags: economy, Health, jurisdiction, standard of living
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National pharmacare dream dying as Trudeau appears ready to cave to Big Pharma
Thursday, November 16th, 2023
… pharmacare would increase Canadian government spending by the equivalent of about one-third of one percentage point of GDP… Even so, politicians seem willing to conjure up the threat of a credit downgrade, scaring Canadians into falsely believing universal pharmacare is unaffordable. (Instead, the Liberals may propose a smaller means-tested program.) … don’t be fooled into believing it’s because we can’t afford it.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, pharmaceutical
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National Pharmacare – Time to Get on With It
Friday, November 3rd, 2023
The federal government can act as a catalyst by making a credible and responsible financial commitment that opens the door to joint work with provinces and territories to improve public plan coverage. The PEI agreement is a good model and federal legislation can help to create a positive foundation for collaboration. The political window to move things forward is open, but not for long.
Tags: featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, pharmaceutical, standard of living
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The Liberals have a chance to make headway on pharmacare. They should seize the opportunity
Thursday, November 2nd, 2023
Hoskins had recommended that a universal program begin with essential medicines, which would initially cost the government $3.5 billion to $4.5 billion. The NDP insists on a single-payer universal system but acknowledges it can’t be done in one fell swoop. It has demanded that timelines for progress be enshrined in legislation. If all this leads to a “foundational” piece of legislation and a firm road map going forward, that will be welcome and significant progress in a time of economic uncertainty.
Tags: budget, disabilities, economy, featured, pharmaceutical, standard of living
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Budget officer estimates cost and savings of single-payer pharmacare
Thursday, October 19th, 2023
The PBO says, “Upon the implementation of a single-payer universal drug plan… we estimate the incremental cost to the public sector (that is, federal and provincial governments) combined to be $11.2 billion in 2024-25, increasing to $14.4 billion in 2027.” In terms of the economy as a whole, the PBO estimates cost savings on drug expenditures of $1.4 billion in 2024-25, rising to $2.2 billion in 2027-28.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, jurisdiction, mental Health, participation, pharmaceutical
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Politicians come and go, but the clock is now ticking on long-promised pharmacare
Thursday, October 12th, 2023
Federal funding of essential medicines will, of course, cost the federal government, since it would foot the bill for all of those essential medicines instead of the provinces paying much of the costs. But the $7.6 billion price tag is a bargain. All told, a program of this kind could save provinces, employers and families $12 billion in reduced prescription drug costs. The $4 billion in direct savings for provinces alone is enough to entice even the most recalcitrant of provincial governments.
Tags: featured, Health, ideology, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living
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Early indicators of dementia: 5 behaviour changes to look for after age 50
Monday, October 2nd, 2023
… dementia is predicted to affect one million Canadians by 2030… dementia isn’t an individual journey. In 2020, care partners — including family members, friends or neighbours — spent 26 hours per week assisting older Canadians living with dementia… These numbers are expected to triple by 2050, so it’s important to look for ways to offset these predicted trajectories by preventing or delaying the progression of dementia.
Tags: mental Health, Seniors
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To fix Canada’s health care, a hard economic truth must be acknowledged
Tuesday, August 29th, 2023
… a) when public health care was first rolled out, there were limited complex interventions available; b) what could be done was relatively inexpensive; and c) given shorter lifespans, there was simply less time for a patient to require the higher-cost care commensurate with advanced age. In that context, funding health care out of general tax revenues has become increasingly hard – and will eventually be unsustainable.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, ideology, standard of living, tax
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