‘This is a crisis’: Head of medical association warns that the health-care system faces ‘collapse’
www.cbc.ca/news/politics/canadian-health-care-system-collaps…
The new president of the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) said Wednesday he fears the country’s fragile health-care system will deteriorate further without an injection of cash — and a plan to increase the number of doctors and other health care professionals.
DB2
Apparently they suffer from “US disease”. The question was raise on another thread as to why Congress doesn’t tweak the Medicaid bill to make the terms clear. It’s for the same reason Congress doesn’t confirm treaties made by a president - that would force a Congressperson to commit to a position which some of his/her constituents would object to. No vote, no objection (from either side).
Axiom: Any law which increases taxes on one group and distributes it as aid to another will be objected to by the first group (regardless of how badly the second group needs it). We have the best Congress money can buy, so things usually swing in favor the those whose taxes would increase unless there are enough mobs with pitchforks to convince the Congresspeople that they risk losing the next elect. So either they will pass a new law (with loads of unassociated “important” attachments) or will screw around with what they promised until the kerfuffle dies down and then quietly bury it.
I’m guessing things work the same up north.
Jeff
‘This is a crisis’: Head of medical association warns that the health-care system faces ‘collapse’
All countries with aging populations are facing a health care crisis.
The provinces and territories are struggling to meet the care needs of our aging population, and over the next 10 years population aging will add $93 billion to health care costs. https://www.cma.ca/sites/default/files/pdf/Media-Releases/Co…
Now throw in the obesity epidemic:
Canada spends roughly 11 per cent of its total health expenditure on treating medical conditions that arise as complications of obesity, according to a recent report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). On average, in the 36 countries that form the OECD, being overweight is responsible for 71 per cent, 23 per cent, and 9 per cent of all treatment costs associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancers, respectively. https://nationalpost.com/health/it-costs-canada-9b-to-treat-…
It doesn’t matter what kind of healthcare system one has, single-payer or free market. An aging population and rising obesity levels are going to dramatically increase costs and pressure the system.
Hate to sound like a broken record but that is another reason why it is a good thing to compensate for the increasing number of old people with an increasing number of young immigrants.
Unlimited profits for health care is another aspect.
Allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices is a step in the right direction. Negotiated prices for medical services like surgery or CAT scans would be a plus.
Funding hospitals in rural communities is another issue. If you must drive 100 miles to have a baby, what do you do? Can emergency care after an accident be fast enough? Or available? Should govt step in? How?
Public health service could open a medical school and fill many vacancies. Doctors tend to favir big cities that have too many. Rather than rural communities that have too few. And that is possibly because rural communities have trouble supporting a doctor.
Maybe health care reform should be on the agenda.