Healthcare Plank 2013

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Archived Versions Ontario Health Staple (With Input from June 2012 Caucus Meeting)

Archived On: 11/4/2012 (after the October 2012 AGM) by Jeffrey McLarty

This block is to direct focus and discussion to certain portions of the document. Of course, feedback is welcome on the entire thing, on the discussion tab.

Current Status:65% Complete Please do not add sections The current Problem section is currently matching the other planks. Major changes to it, will invovle more work for the other sections. Try not to dramatically change the short term or long term focus Spelling Grammar is not final Talking Points need major help Guidance Section is weak We need to elect/appoint a Subject Matter Expert or shadow Cabinet to own this topic.

Status Updated On: 11/4/2012 by Jeffrey McLarty

This page is LOCKED. Input from members is welcome on the discussion tab. (Upper Left)

Current Problem

The language below is currently proposed as official. It is an attempt at using most of the notes below, and matching the writing style of the rest of the document and ofther staples.

Having access to the best healthcare allows you to live life to the fullest. However, the past liberal and conservative governments have created an unsustainable and outdated solution burdened by hidden costs, uncovered necessities, and long wait times. Ontario's Health Insurance Program forces providers to ration services and operate below capacity. People are dying sooner, staying out of work longer, or burdening their families all because of the current government-mandated monopoly.

The Current Problem statement should be 3 or 4 sentences. The first sentence should be a positive statment which is impossible to argue on it's own. Followed by "However, the liberal and conservative government have...", and then only use "the current system" once - max. Try to use the global "You" at least once.

author: Your Wiki/Real Name

Short-Term Goals

The language below is currently proposed as official. It is an attempt at using most of the notes below, and matching the writing style of the rest of the document and ofther staples.

More Options Allow Innovation Reduce regulation’s on new treatments : Replace with warnings Multi-level Insurance Force Plan Participation : Choice of 92 competing insurers

The Short Term Goals should be 2 to 4, incremental, implementaiton, achievable goals. With 1 to 2 sentences describing each.

author: Your Wiki/Real Name

Long-Term Goals

The language below is currently proposed as official. It is an attempt at using most of the notes below, and matching the writing style of the rest of the document and ofther staples.

Shorter Wait Times Competitive Service Model Charge extra for better service : More doctors, shorter lines for all Stimulate voluntary support Rely more on charity of friends & family : Less of a burden on public funds

The Long Term Goals should be 2 to 4, principle based goals. With 1 to 2 sentences describing each.

author: Your Wiki/Real Name

Facts

Healthcare spending more than doubled, from $1700 to $4100, between 1975 and 2009.

The amount Canadians spend on health care in 1997 dollars has increased every year between 1975 and 2009 from $39.7 billion to $137.3 billion or a more than doubling of per capita spending from $1,715 to $4089. - pg 119, National Health Expenditure Trends, Canadian Institute for Health Information

Canada spends 36% more [per person, on healthcare, than OECD average] and we have 23% less doctors [per person] and 50% less hospital beds [per person].

Canada also ranks above the OECD average in terms of health spending per capita, with spending of 4445 USD in 2010 (adjusted for purchasing power parity), compared with an OECD average of 3268 USD. Health spending per capita in Canada remains nonetheless much lower than in the United States (which spent 8233 USD per capita in 2010), as well as in Norway, Switzerland and the Netherlands. Despite the relatively high level of health expenditure in Canada, there are fewer physicians per capita than in most other OECD countries, although their numbers have been growing in recent years. In 2010, Canada had 2.4 physicians per 1000 population, well below the OECD average of 3.1. The number of hospital beds for curative care in Canada was 1.7 per 1000 population in 2009, half of the OECD average (3.4 beds per 1 000 population). As in most OECD countries, the number of hospital beds per capita in Canada has fallen over time. This decline has coincided with a reduction of average length of stays in hospitals and an increase in the number of surgical procedures performed on a same-day (or ambulatory) basis. - OECD Health Data 2012, How Does Canada Compare

Australia’s government cover’s less of their population’s overall healthcare bills. Higher life expectancy. Lower infant mortality. More doctors [per person]. More nurses [per person].

Australia and the US were the only countries whose government spent less. Australia is the only country to outrank the four major units of measure. Their system coexists with a private health system. Medicare is funded partly by a 1.5% income tax levy (with exceptions for low-income earners), but mostly out of general revenue. An additional levy of 1% is imposed on high-income earners without private health insurance. - Healthcare in Canada, Wikipedia, 2012

Talking Points

Allow choice by allowing doctors and clinics that accept OHIP, but charge additional amounts for alternative, faster, better, service. If people are allowed to pay extra they will make the lines shorter for everyone. And people will not be forced to go to the United States to get faster service. Equal access to healthcare, everyone has to purchase a plan from one of private 92 insurers.

Employers don’t provide insurance, so people are free to shop around for coverage that fits their needs and not feel obligated to stay in a job solely for the health benefits.

Case Study #1

Switzerland does not have socialized medicine but government regulates the insurance industry and defines what health services must be offered.

Patients can choose any physician and there’s no wait to see specialists or have surgery.

Depending on the deductible, the monthly premium for this basic package averages about $300 for adults, plus some co-pays, but it can’t exceed 8% of personal income; if it does, the government subsidizes the cost.

Roughly one-third of Swiss households — mainly single-parent families and immigrants — get some form of subsidy

Insurers can’t turn anyone down or delay coverage due to age, medical history, or health risks. Companies can make money on the optional supplemental coverage that includes alternative medicine and private hospital rooms.

Guidance

• Before national healthcare existed, people were taxed less : Families had less of a tax burden, and therefore it was easier to volunteer to help neighbors
• If you smoke, drink too much, have a dangerous job, don’t exercise or play risky sports : Your neighbor should not have to cover your healthcare bill
• Don’t say we’ll privatize healthcare : We will let the market provide alternatives
• If you get into a discussion that gets heated or if you don’t know enough about the topic:
  • Stop after the other person finishes talking.
  • “I think I might be communicating poorly” (even if you aren’t)
  • “I’m not an expert, on this particular topic – but neither are most other politicians. Politicians shouldn’t be making these decisions. Parents/Consumers/Individuals should be.”