Posts Tagged ‘featured’

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Canada is rolling out its dental care program.

Monday, December 11th, 2023

The program will be phased in, starting with seniors. Eligible Canadians aged 87 and above can start applying this month. Those aged 77 to 86 can start applying in January 2024, followed by those aged 72 to 76 in February. If you’re between the ages of 70 and 71, you can apply in March… Starting in May 2024, applications will move to an online portal, and will open up to seniors aged 65 and up. In June, anyone with a valid Disability Tax Credit certificate, and eligible youth under 18, can also begin applying online. Everyone else meeting the criteria can apply online in 2025.

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New report shows province needs to double current funding to Ontario universities

Thursday, December 7th, 2023

… the province would have to increase funding from just under $8,300 per student to more than $16,000 per student just to reach the average funding level of other provinces. The report found between 2018 and 2022, university operating revenues from the provincial government and domestic student fees was reduced by $3,200 per student… [with] domestic students paying tuition fees that are 24 per cent higher than the average for the rest of Canada… over-reliance on international students to fund universities, exploitation of low-paid contract faculty, reduced funding for research and growing class sizes.

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Learn these three simple numbers to help prevent suicide

Friday, December 1st, 2023

Responders at 9-8-8 are trained in suicide prevention and are based at existing helplines across the country. They will listen with compassion and empathy and give callers and texters space to share without being judged. Responders will work with callers and texters to explore ways to cope and pathways to safety when things are overwhelming… It is important to note that while 9-8-8 will help keep people safe in the moment, it is not a replacement for mental health care provided in primary care, in communities and in hospitals.

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We are walking down the dangerous path of health care privatization

Tuesday, November 21st, 2023

… medicare restrictions on physicians are provincially and territorially imposed, so many virtual clinics skirt the rules by employing physicians licenced in a different jurisdiction than the patient lives. Resolving these loopholes is not impossible — simply fold nurse practitioners into the same medicare legislation physicians work under and bring in nationwide physician licencing. Yet there seems to be no appetite on the part of health ministries to address these issues.

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National Pharmacare – Time to Get on With It

Wednesday, November 15th, 2023

National pharmacare is overdue. In 21st century healthcare, drugs are not a luxury nor a discretionary add-on. They are an essential part of healthcare delivery that should be covered universally. Canadians have already waited too long, and far too many of them don’t get the medication they need to stay healthy and manage chronic disease. The federal government can act as a catalyst by making a credible and responsible financial commitment… to improve public plan coverage.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Seeking common ground at the Thanksgiving table

Friday, October 6th, 2023

We need to understand that the anger that folks are feeling… is based on real issues – even if the target of that anger is, to put it charitably, misplaced. That misdirection is often fed by politicians, capitalists, and the well-funded propagandists whose job is to keep the working majority squabbling amongst ourselves… we also have a responsibility to try to move the needle a little bit towards justice.

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Governments should see social assistance as a solution, not a problem

Thursday, October 5th, 2023

Shouldn’t social assistance prevent poverty? At minimum, it should be a net that prevents people from falling into abject poverty. But it should also provide a ladder, something that people can use to help them up. By failing to deliver social assistance that performs either of these functions, governments are squandering the opportunity to improve people’s lives, their health, and, where possible, their ability to get and maintain paid work.

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