Archive for the ‘Health Policy Context’ Category
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How we can actually achieve national pharmacare – Hill Times Op-Ed
Sunday, September 17th, 2023
A national public single payer drug plan… implementation requires massive administrative changes and costs… there are two other models that would work. Social insurance has been used in Canada and in many countries that have broader, higher quality universal health systems, most at lower per capita costs. A second, more targeted approach is a portable health benefit plan which uses a similar mixed funding model to help workers with no health insurance.
Tags: Health, pharmaceutical
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What stands between you and your health information
Friday, August 18th, 2023
… individual providers are proprietary about their patient data. Confidentiality is crucial. Different providers have different guidelines for accessing records, to both other providers and to patients. Legal ramifications are top of mind and the risk of inappropriate access to patient records is a nightmare that providers do not want to face. Finally, there is the issue of funding…
Tags: budget, ideology, jurisdiction, rights
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Canadians deserve better than fake Pharmacare
Wednesday, August 2nd, 2023
A single-payer system can use its bargaining power to negotiate better prices and reduce costs… A fill-the-gaps approach is a short-sighted Band-Aid on a system that is bleeding out. It may appear to have lower upfront costs by only covering those who are uninsured, but it is less efficient when factoring in the administrative costs of verifying eligibility… A single-payer approach to Pharmacare is fair for all.
Tags: economy, featured, Health, ideology, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living
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High drug prices in Canada are just one side of a bad equation
Tuesday, July 18th, 2023
To ensure that Canadians receive similar benefits from the pharmaceutical industry as other countries, we need oversight of both sides of the equation: drug prices (… fully protected from political influence), and follow-up to ensure any government programs intended to offer investment incentives for the pharmaceutical industry in the Canadian economy achieve their goals.
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Pharmacare could save over $1600/year per patient and promote ‘pharmoequity’ finds study
Thursday, June 1st, 2023
Providing free medicine to patients reduces costs to the health care system and contributes to overall health equity, researchers learned… “I was surprised by the magnitude of the savings,” Dr. Nav Persaud… told CBC. “It seems like eliminating medication costs both saves money in avoided hospitalizations, avoided emergency room visits, makes people healthier and addresses health inequities — it makes access to health more fair.”
Tags: budget, disabilities, Health, mental Health, participation, pharmaceutical, standard of living
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Time to end violations of Canada Health Act with illegal fees for service
Sunday, May 28th, 2023
…Bill 60… expressly enables the transfer of surgeries and diagnostics from public hospitals to for-profit clinics… We categorically do not need private clinics to cut surgical wait times. Virtually every public hospital has operating rooms that are closed evenings, overnight and on weekends. They should be funded and staffed to open to full capacity to clear backlogs.
Tags: featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization, rights
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Better Health Depends on Better Health Data
Friday, May 26th, 2023
… governments should adopt the guiding principle that patients’ entire records should be available, not just to health providers, but to the patients themselves. Not only is this consistent with Supreme Court decisions and the principles of good ethics, but there is growing evidence it improves participation and trust in the system.
Tags: featured, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, rights
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Budget 2023 overlooks Canada’s “dirty little secret” about federal health funding
Wednesday, May 24th, 2023
It’s a “dirty little secret” that the health care money sent to the provinces and territories under the Canada Health Transfer does not actually have to be spent on health care… Speaking on behalf of the Canadian Health Coalition, I urged MPs to take action to rein in health care privatization by the provinces, and to ensure that the promised Canada Pharmacare Act is a public, universal program that covers everyone.
Tags: budget, Health, ideology, jurisdiction, mental Health, standard of living
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What the end of the Cambie legal saga means for public health care
Thursday, May 11th, 2023
The principles of the Canada Health Act remain intact. However, many provinces and corporate interests have recalibrated their strategy to undermine public health care. Alberta, Ontario and Quebec are entrenching for-profit interests by outsourcing surgeries to investor-owned facilities. This undermines hospital staffing and ability to provide timely care. Some for-profit clinics have engaged in unlawful extra-billing, entrenching two-tier health care.
Tags: Health, ideology, jurisdiction, privatization
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Preventive health care: Why privately funded programs are reluctant to fund it
Monday, May 8th, 2023
Within a publicly funded care model, there is a vested interest to mandate and fund preventative health measures as government payers are accountable for sustainable health care budgets. Recognizing that early prevention can reduce costs down the road, governments are more willing to pay for screening services for patients at risk… the ability to predict the individual risk of patients using artificial intelligence is incredibly exciting in the health care space.
Tags: Health, ideology, participation, privatization, standard of living
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