Tag: obama care

Eby ‘optimistic’ about upcoming health care talks in Ottawa; feds keep cards close to vest

Premier David Eby said he is optimistic about hammering out a health care agreement with the federal government next week, but it is not yet clear how much Ottawa is prepared to pony up.

“It’s always preferable to go into the meeting understanding what the parameters are, but I have to say for myself and for British Columbia, I’m glad that we have overcome that hurdle that stood in our way for too long of not even sitting around the table and talking about this,” Eby said.

He made these comments while speaking to reporters in Ottawa, flanked by six cabinet ministers part of a provincial delegation.

Eby will join other provincial and territorial leaders in Ottawa Feb. 7 to discuss health-care funding. Premiere on Jan. 30 released a joint statement calling on the federal government to increase funding from 22 per cent to 35 per cent under the Canada

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Health-care costs could be reduced with free prescription drugs: study

Overall health-care costs could be reduced in Canada by providing free prescription drugs to patients, according to a new study.

Led by a researcher from the University of Toronto’s medical school, the three-year study aimed to see how eliminating out-of-pocket medication fees would impact health-care system spending, particularly for patients who reported delaying or not taking prescription drugs due to costs.

“There are millions of Canadians who report not taking medications because of the costs,” lead author and University of Toronto associate professor Dr. Nav Persaud told CTVNews.ca. “We were trying to measure the effect of providing people with free access to medicines, as would happen in a national pharmacy program.”

The study tracked 786 adult patients at nine primary care sites in Ontario who were taking 128 different essential medicines that covered everything from diabetes to depression. In addition to prescriptions, total health-care cost calculations included emergency room trips,

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ER physicians encourage Albertans to choose a party that will prioritize health care

Open this photo in gallery:

The South Health Campus adult acute care hospital in Calgary on April 1, 2020. An open letter signed by nearly 200 ER doctors said Alberta’s health care system was deteriorating.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press

Nearly 200 emergency-room doctors are urging Albertans to vote for a party that will prioritize fixing what they say is a deteriorating health care system causing patients and care providers to speak languish without support.

An open letter released Wednesday morning, just five days ahead of the May 29 vote, said lack of access to primary care, limited hospital capacity and a critical labor shortage are eroding emergency departments. The signatories said the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis and “untimely” government policies have brought the system to collapse.

“Frontline healthcare workers have truly had enough. We cannot bear to watch our patients suffer any longer with no end in sight,” the

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Rising health care costs: How might they be tackled?

KEY POINTS:
  • A new report shows Australians are delaying medical care due to rising health care costs.
  • The report highlights declining bulk billing rates, longer wait times, and an aging GP workforce.
  • It comes as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to meet state leaders to discuss a plan to overhaul Medicare.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet with state and territory leaders to consider a plan to solve challenges within Australia’s healthcare system.
Premiers and chief ministers will meet Mr Albanese in Canberra on Friday for the first national cabinet meeting of the year, after he hosted dinner at the Lodge on Thursday night.
At the top of the agenda will be the findings of a review by the Medicare task force on measures to improve healthcare affordability and accessibility, support Australians with chronic health conditions and take pressure off hospitals.

Leaders will also be updated on Closing the

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