Time To Reform Health Care

Premiers are meeting in Vancouver for their annual premiers conference. They are calling for on the feds to provide long term funding and benchmarks.for health care.

VANCOUVER — Canada's premiers and doctors are calling for stable, long-term funding and established benchmarks for medical care in what's looking to be difficult negotiations on a new federal health transfer accord with the Harper government.

An Ipsos Reid poll indicates 90% Canadians want the Federal government to take a lead roll in negotiating a new health accord with the provinces.

OTTAWA — With the Canada Health Act set to expire in 2014, about 90 per cent of Canadians "agree" the federal government should lead the way to a new heath accord with the provinces, a new poll suggests.

From the same poll 57% of respondents strongly agree and 32% somewhat agree that the feds should lead the way for the system to be reformed.

 When asked whether it was important for the government to lead a transformation of the health care system, 57 per cent of respondents strongly agreed, while 32 per cent "somewhat" agreed.

 Support for reform  is obviously there. It's up to the politicians to find the cajones to make something happen. If something isn't done very soon we could have much bigger problem than we do now. How to reform the system is the question.

Here is my take. Socialized medicine hasn't worked out very well.  First we must start taking charge of our and our family's own health.  One can do this without government  by eating right, keeping active. watching our stress levels etc.  We must start taking  on personal responbility. We should not rely on and expect the government to take care of us from cradle to grave.

Secondly one thing that  the provinces can immediately do is to cut out a lot of the bureaucracy.     It would streamline the system by getting rid of the duplication that is inefficient and adds to wait times and cost.  The savings could be put toward home care and more long term care facilities that frees up active care beds.

Another thing is to allow for some private delivery of health care and for those who can afford it allow them to pay for their care out of their own pocket . Let the free market work. It will determine cost and quality.  Maybe even some private insurance could be sold across provincial borders which would cause competiveness.  The public needs choice.

If at least a mixed system of public and private delivery of health care were implemented you would see a more efficient, cheaper, and better qualitity of  care. We would all benefit in the end. 

Any of you have any better ideas? What say you?