On July 12, 2005 Ralph Klein and his Health Minister, Iris Evans, unveiled Alberta's "third way" to improve health care. Far be it for me to disagree with Ralphy boy and I won't. This has some good ideas to reduce waiting lists and we need all the help we can get to fix our struggling health care system.
Some of the highlights include; centralized booking for some surgery, make child car booster seats mandatory, consider tax incentives for healthy lifestyles, improve access to mental health services and testing, create an electronic health record, open primary health care centres where specialists can be reached directly, allow Albertans to carry secondary insurance to cover enhanced-care costs, and establish a virtual training campus for rural health providers.
I also think one very good point is that these ideas don't violate the Canada Health Act and it doesn't allow the rich to jump ahead in line. Even our federal health minister, Ujjal Dosanjh (close enough), says these are very good ideas. Plus Calgary's left-wing reporters, who ussually take every opportunity to shoot down Klein, were very mild in there comments toward Ralph's third way. Calling it a 2.1 way, instead of the third way they were all thinking.
Although we still need to watch this and I know our so called "friends of medicare" will be watching this like a hawk. It may be fine in the next 5 years, but should Alberta's redneck community vote in a more extreme right-wing government. This could get out of hand.
These changes won't take effect for some time as everything and everyone needs to prepare. But it will be interesting to see what unfolds in the weeks to come.
About Me
- Dr.Clawmonkey
- Hussar, Alberta, Canada
- I am a fairly simple man. I enjoy sports, games, movies and watching people run for their lives.
Links
- CFL
- NFL
- PGA
- Calgary Stampeders
- Calgary Flames
- University of Calgary
- Tiger Woods
- The Score
- Schmunkman
- Friar Donk
- Zibby Dah (being held in a Red Chinese prison)
- Jingo (currently in 'The Pit of Despair')
- sabutai (forgot password)
- AUDIOSLAVE
- Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Elton John
- Bloodhound Gang
- Linkin Park
- Axis of Justice
- Grizzly Paw
4 comments:
Hey Monkey,
Yeah there some things I like in the third way ideas, but I have some questions. After Googling around the internet to read up the details that my TV News soundbite couldn't anwser, I am still pretty unclear about a few things. The Alberta outline is available in it's entirity at:
http://www.health.gov.ab.ca/about/reform/getting.html#Getting
My main questions are;
1. Action #8 If a patient opts for a more expensive room does is this room IN the hospital, or in a seperate private facility?
2. I don't get the whole thing about the Hip replacements, Are these ones that will be available for " Reasonable fees" better than the regular? I really don't like this line :"People will be able to choose enhanced medical goods and services beyond what doctors decide is medically necessary". That line is bullshit. Doctors, if they are following their hippocratic oath will always provide the best care available. The Health authority decides what is available, they control the costs and do the buying, not the doctors. So the health authority wont buy these "experimental" hips for the public but they will provide them to people willing to cough up dough? this sounds like two-tiered to me.
Action #10 this is the scariest line in the whole works for me.
"Increase the number of hours of health care provided in long term care centres
Consistent with the need for higher standards and better care, this July the average care hours per resident will increase from 3.1 to 3.4 per day."
Sounds good right...OK I want to know who is going to provide the money and hours for this extra time? I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet because My wife is an LPN at a private seniors facility. Most Seniors homes are alredy privatly owned and most PCW's and LPN's who are the front line staff at these homes already work crazy hours and are for the most part underpaid and hired on a "casual" basis. This means scattered shifts ( ie 11pm-7am on tues. then 3-11 thurs). It is not uncommon for my wife to be called at 5 am to work a shift at 7am because someone called in or of a schedule oversight. Bottom line, Private places schedule like Sears do, they provide the bare minimum of staff to cover a shift and if an emergency occurs then they have to call in people or leave people unattended. I realize that this plan is still in the discussion and formation stage, but these extra hours are either going to make existing workers more stressed and tired, or cost the facility a whole lot more. This needs to be addressed.
Before you think I hate this thing I should say that I basically agree with all actions 1 through 5, although #3 ( Prevention) is a unbelievably complex and vast topic on it's own, and I love actions #6 and #11!
As this is just the beginning. If I were still an Albertan I would be watching this closely. In Case you want to get the story from the horse's mouth check out the Friends of Medicare's news releases. The time line provides some good information that counters some of the claims made by the Klein government ( and Ujjal Dosanjh as well!). Just read it and decide for yourself!
http://www.keepmedicarepublic.ca/medicare/news.shtml#M
#1. I would say it would probably be in a seperate private facility also called an extended care facility, I would figure. It's a little vague.
#2. I'm not so sure about those hip replacements either.-- That line is weird. Maybe it's referring to new experimental treatment not covered by medicare. Also, any special medical treatment not offered in Canada presently. If you have to travel to the US or overseas for a specialist.
For the increased health care. I think they're talking about allowing the nurses and other support staff more hours with the patients. Eliminating paper work or other tasks that take time away from the patients.
Every heatlh region only has so mouch money to give to the workers, unfortunately. You can't just have an bottomless pit of money. It has to come from somewhere and you can't overtax the public too much. Therefore they have to plan, just like a business would.
Doctors, nurses, surgeons, pharmacists, etc. they're all in the business of health care. It doesn't seem right, but, more or less it's the way it is.
Canada already has a two-tiered health care system. Look at our Governor General; thursday she's in the doctor's office. Friday she's in surgery for a pacemaker. Pretty quick. I bet the regular joe doesn't get service that fast.
Also, do you think a hockey player has to wait a week or 2 for an MRI, I don't think so.
The worst example of two teired heath care is in our prisons, Prisoners get daily check ups. They have no waiting lists. If only our seniors could get tossed in the can they would have their medical needs seen to.
Yeah I know. Didn you hear what else the prisoners get. I think it just might deserve a post rant abou tit.
Post a Comment