tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post4463187492434605402..comments2024-03-28T19:18:40.387-04:00Comments on Northern Reflections: Erin O'Toole's (And Jason Kenney's) Healthcare PlanOwen Grayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-56816363335613334182021-09-08T14:28:02.946-04:002021-09-08T14:28:02.946-04:00Thanks for the tip, Lulymay. Kenney knows how to m...Thanks for the tip, Lulymay. Kenney knows how to make doctors and nurses look elsewhere for employment.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-86458729143838260782021-09-08T13:00:11.893-04:002021-09-08T13:00:11.893-04:00Everyone should read and take heed of an article a...Everyone should read and take heed of an article at "Balloon Juice" blog titled "Crisis Standard of Care". Don't think it can't happen here in Canada - one only has to look at Jason Kenny's idea of what public health care entails (including taking a run at both doctors and nurses).Lulymaynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-50080674108623874122021-09-08T11:37:10.072-04:002021-09-08T11:37:10.072-04:00It's clear -- and has been clear for some tim...It's clear -- and has been clear for some time -- that public healthcare is cheaper than private healthcare, Cap. Conservatives keep arguing that private care is better than public care. Try telling that to the families who have lost loved ones in nursing homes.Owen Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06464860078574618579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35117130.post-12025923879753893942021-09-08T10:24:24.765-04:002021-09-08T10:24:24.765-04:00The number of physicians is relatively fixed and t...The number of physicians is relatively fixed and there are no plans to drastically expand the number of medical students. This means any increase in private sector physicians comes at the expense of the public sector. There's no evidence that the private sector provides cheaper care, indeed the US system shows the opposite is true. So, if the government continues to cover the full cost of care in the private sector, it's simply wasting money.<br /><br />Conservatives try to justify more spending in the private sector by claiming greater innovation. But if the private sector were truly innovative and cheaper, we would have seen it by now in dentistry, optometry and psychology, all not "contaminated" by public spending. Instead, private sector innovation focuses less on better health outcomes, and more on better financial outcomes for corporate managers and shareholders. And, frankly, there's not much innovation in using non-unionized labour and outsourcing to create a race to the bottom in working conditions. These are exactly the kind of conditions that cause burnout and quitting among nurses, and the high number of Covid deaths in private long-term care. <br /><br />Improving healthcare outcomes is complicated, and I don't think any of the parties have shown a firm grasp of the issues in this election. With so much of healthcare administered by the provinces, there's only so much that can be achieved at the federal level. Universal pharmacare, as proposed by the Libs in 2015 and the NDP now, would however be good to see. <br /><br />Cap<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com