WHEREAS the First Ministers’ Accord on Health Care Renewal signed on February 5th, 2003 was a collective vision with broad objectives: timely and equitable access, a higher quality of care, a healthier population, a sustainable future for the public health care system and more accountability for how funds are spent;
WHEREAS this Accord represents the first pan-Canadian consensus to extend universal coverage of services beyond those outlined in the Canada Health Act since 1957 to include prescription drugs and home care;
WHEREAS Canadians strongly hold values in support of public health care;
WHEREAS a healthy population has tremendous social and economic benefits to Canada;
BE IT RESOLVED the Liberal Party of Canada call upon the Government of Canada to re-establish effective tri-level advisory committees (federal, provincial, and territorial governments) to share information and implement collaborative agendas, and establish meaningful indicators to measure changes in health and health care for the areas identified as priorities for reform and reasonable access to information about how governments spend targeted funds to report on meaningful progress;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Liberal Party of Canada renew their pan-Canadian commitment to system-wide change and work toward the “Action Plan for Reform” we initiated, fulfilling all the promises of the Accord on catastrophic drug coverage and safe, appropriate prescribing, home care, Aboriginal health, primary health care, the health care workforce and electronic health records and information, progress reports, accountability and wait times which will result in the “real and lasting change” we envisioned.
Liberal Party of Canada (Alberta)
I pay $1400 a years for drug coverage, for my wife and myself (we are also pretty healthy). I would willingly pay this amount and more into a government sponsored program that covered all our medical needs. I feel everyone should pay into a government health care plan, based on their income. I don’t feel however that the government should run the program, but setting the guide lines. Then the medical care insurance companies should bid on the right to administer blocks of the program, they will do it more efficientlty than the government.
Health care is much broader than being able to see a Doctor or get treatment in the Hospital, it is about keeping people healthy and active. In order to do the full job it may, in meny instances be more efficient to have and element of private healthcare involved. It is who pays and how it is paid that is the key element here. I don’t think it is desirable to have people needing treatment and in a private clinic and it costing thousands of dollars. I feel people have a responsibility to themselves and to society to share the cost of keeping themselves healthy, just as I feel it is societies responsibility to keep its members healthy.
So who pays? I think people should pay into a government directed health care plan rather than buying suplemental health care for drug, glasses, dental, travel etc.