Archive for the ‘Health Policy Context’ Category
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“Public Option” Could Fill Gaps in Dental Coverage
A universal single-payer dental insurance plan, or a public default plan that would cover everyone who doesn’t have an approved private plan, would ensure that no one would have to forgo urgently needed dental care for financial reasons. If properly managed, a public plan that anyone could use as an option would also put competitive pressure on private insurance, and indirectly on the dentists and allied professionals who supply the services.
Tags: featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, participation, poverty, standard of living
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Is every medical school graduate entitled to become a doctor?
We have more doctors, in absolute numbers and per capita, than ever before. But we have a growing problem of maldistribution. Everyone wants to be a specialist and everyone wants to practice in a big city – largely because our pay scales tell us that is what is valued. We don’t need more doctors, we need more more general practitioners, especially in rural and remote areas. If medical students don’t want those jobs, then perhaps we’re not attracting the right people to medical school.
Tags: Health, mental Health, participation, standard of living
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Why Trudeau may take a pass on universal pharmacare, despite his party’s wishes
Canada spends more on prescription drugs, through a chaotic mix of public, private and individual payers, than nearly every other country on earth: $34 billion annually, or roughly $1,000 per capita — a third higher than the OECD average, and twice what countries like Denmark and the Netherlands pay. Yet an estimated 10 per cent of our people have no drug insurance — two to three times the rate in comparable countries — while another 10 per cent are classed as under-insured…
Tags: budget, economy, featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living
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Ottawa should decriminalize all drugs – it’s effective policy
… It makes sense, for reasons of public health, human rights and fiscal responsibility, to take a less punitive approach to drugs. But none of these arguments for a better, more humane response imply encouraging or condoning drug use. In fact, it is precisely because these substances, whether legal or illegal, can sometimes cause harm that we need to abandon approaches that have demonstrably compounded, rather than reduced, those harms.
Tags: crime prevention, featured, Health, ideology, mental Health, pharmaceutical
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Ontario Budget 2018: Health Sector Highlights
If implemented, the health budget is expected to grow by 5% to $61.3 billion.[1] The government is proposing an expansion OHIP+ for seniors, a drug and dental care plan for those without private insurance, and additional funding for mental health, hospitals, home care, long-term care, palliative and end-of-life care and other initiatives discussed in more detail below.
Tags: budget, Health, jurisdiction, mental Health
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Pharmacare: Focus on Canadians who need it most
Ensuring that Canadians have access to prescription drugs should be a top priority… One single, nationally mandated pharmacare program would mean dissolving every existing provincially funded and employer-funded plan. It would likely mean one single, much smaller formulary (list of drugs), and would create opportunities for potential savings through bulk-buying. It would likely also create a large national bureaucracy and require a massive IT system … a national pharmacare plan may cover less than their existing plan.
Tags: budget, ideology, pharmaceutical, privatization, standard of living
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National pharmacare is possible – but it won’t come easy
While a single, national plan would theoretically save money on drug purchases, it would also mean a large-scale shifting of costs from the private sector to the public sector – a net $7.3-billion annually… The single biggest impediment to pharmacare is the unwillingness of federal, provincial and territorial governments to absorb those costs and then increase taxes to pay the bill – even if the consumer comes out paying less in the long run.
Tags: budget, Health, jurisdiction, mental Health, pharmaceutical, privatization, standard of living, tax
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Opioid addiction should be treated with prescribed medication when possible, new Canadian guideline says
The guideline… outlines a step-by-step approach that promotes the use of relatively inexpensive medication that reduces cravings for opioid drugs… opioid addiction should be treated as a chronic disease in doctors’ offices, similar to diabetes or hypertension. The guideline advises against detox programs that discharge patients after several days, with no further addiction treatment or medication to support recovery… at least 80 to 90 per cent of patients will relapse after discharge
Tags: crime prevention, featured, Health, ideology, mental Health, pharmaceutical
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Bill Morneau sends a mixed message on national pharmacare
What’s irresponsible is preserving the current system, or amending it in a way that keeps drug costs uncommonly high (Canada has one of the highest per-capita rates of pharmaceutical spending in the OECD). Achieving universal coverage without government bulk-buying is likely to keep the cost curve straining upward… a wholesale reworking of Canada’s drug regime seems like a credible possibility. The Finance Minister should let his new pharmacare czar go where the evidence leads.
Tags: budget, economy, Health, ideology, mental Health, participation, pharmaceutical
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Morneau prefers a public-private pharmacare plan, but government health committee may disagree
… the only groups opposing a universal plan are those with skin in the game: private insurers, drug companies and pharmacists, who stand to lose if drug prices fall under a public plan… the House of Commons health committee prepares to table its own report on a national pharmacare program later this month, after nearly two years of study… it’s likely the committee members will recommend some form of universal plan, which could place them at odds with the finance minister’s vision
Tags: budget, economy, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, participation, standard of living, tax
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